


College Life

by Madison



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fraternities & Sororities, Gen, Humor, Party, Romance, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-01-25 15:34:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12535096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madison/pseuds/Madison
Summary: After a horrible first year of college, Sango is determined to get Kagome back on track. Even if that meant dragging her kicking and screaming to a frat boy party so that she could finally get over Inuyasha.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was written for KogKag Week on Tumblr. 7 prompts 7 days. The story will be longer than 7 chapters but the week kicked off, so here we prompts for the 1st day were first or last. I went with first.

Why was she here?

The fraternity house was crammed up past its limit and yet they kept shoving new people inside, squishing them like sardines. The music's volume had reached a deafening level and everything she touched was sticky or  _wet_ ; she was not sure which one she preferred. Alcohol was flowing left and right, red cups being passed around like candies, and people getting louder as they drank more. Nobody was paying attention where they were going and simply all bumped into each other, elbows digging into ribs and hands slapping everywhere. This was not her scene. She made a point to avoid parties and she had managed to stick to it this long. She had her schooling that required all of her attention and this was not a distraction that she needed or even enjoyed. The humidity of the summer caused the air itself to stick to her skin on top of everyone's layer of sweat.

"Kagome," warned Sango as she glared at her friend. She knew this was not quite her scene, but the girl needed it. "Please try to have some fun."

The day before college. That was when Kagome's boyfriend had decided to end the relationship. That led to Kagome living a very sheltered life during her first year of college, forgoing all of the experiences one should have when they move on to college. Sango had allowed her time to grieve but that was over now. After a year, Kagome had not managed to pull herself out of her misery and Sango was tired of watching it happen on a loop. Monday would mark the beginning of their second year and she refused to let her best friend waste away for another year. Her ex was not worth all of this pain.

Kagome kept saying she disliked parties, but she had never been to one. As college student she had to experience it at least once. Plus, how could she say she did not like it if she never even tried it? "It might be fun."

 _She doubted that_. "Sango, can't we just go back to the dorm?"

"Kagome, if I see you sit on that damn blue chair one more time, I will lose it."

"But -"

"Two hours."

"What?"

"If after two hours you're still this desperate to go, we'll leave." Kagome was about to speak but Sango stopped her. "But you have to try. Really try."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Fine." The only reason she was even agreeing to this was Sango. Her friend had been there for her high and low and well - she probably owed her that much.

Victory flowing through her blood, Sango displayed a large smile. She turned around until she spotted the table she was looking for; the alcohol. She grabbed two red cups and handed one to Kagome while keeping the other for herself. "Drink up."

"Sango," she protested.

"Ah, ah, ah!" she warned with a judging finger pointed at Kagome. "You said you would."

She sighed as she stared at the weirdly pinkish liquid swirling inside of her plastic cup. The last year had left a bitter taste in her mouth - the breakup, the start of school, the broken dreams. They were supposed to get an apartment together, near the school and then suddenly, Kagome had found herself with nowhere to go. Sango had luckily gotten a room alone and offered to share with her, saving her butt. They were supposed to start their common life, attend classes together - and none of it had been true. Now, she lurked the hallways, making herself as small as possible, scared to see him. The moment Sango had said the word  _frat_  she had said no. Fortunately, it was not Inuyasha's frat and she hoped that meant he would be nowhere to be seen. Wasn't there supposed to be rivalry between fraternities? She hoped so.

"One sip."

And one it was. She brought the rim to her lips, the taste already disgusting her, but she did not stop. She allowed the liquid to burn her throat as its made its way down and she grimaced the whole time. One down. A gazillion to go.

"It'll be fun."

That remained to be proven.

Minutes turned into nearly two hours and despite the loud music, Sango's fruitless attempts and the drinks… Kagome's level of fun had not risen any higher. Her head had gotten a lot woozier but except for that, she was not feeling at ease. No, instead she found herself angry. It was not as though she was attempting to be a lurker in the corner but… this whole party made her realize that all she had was Sango. She did not know anyone, she had never been to one of these parties before. People shouted words, played games, greeted each other - and she was not part of it. Her first year had involved her locking herself away in her room. Even Sango knew half the people present and she was not even a party girl. Everybody had been busy making a life for themselves, socializing and she had been…alone.

At this point she could not tell the difference between her own regret and the bitterness that came with the amount of alcohol she drank. She felt bad. And now she had lost Sango. It had taken Kagome nearly 20 minutes simply to locate a bathroom and during that time her friend had slipped away from her. The quicker she found her, the faster they would be out of here. If Sango wanted to remain, she would not argue, but she had to get out of here. She was uncomfortable, out of her element and - and she felt like a moron. And yes, Sango had been right about these parties. She could see the appeal, she honestly could.

But that only worked for someone who had many friends and a social life.

It did not apply to her.

Her eyes darted into the room, trying to locate her best friend, searching every head for a dark haired ponytail and a shiny white skirt. Unfortunately for her, she found a different kind of shiny. Silver hair. Her heart stopped beating, time froze and while her throat clammed up her toes curled. Her gaze darted as she clutched her own hand; it was him. Everything around her stopped moving except for the image of him walking in - with someone. Someone that was not her. His pale hand was wrapped around a girl's fingers, the red fingernails sticking out. She had porcelain skin, perfect long dark hair framing her face and piercing brown eyes. He had a girlfriend. But - he had not been ready. He wanted to live the life, see the world —

He did not want her.

It was not about the world. It was not about finding himself and knowing what college was all about.

All that was load of crap.

It was about her.

Her heart dropped to her stomach, while her mouth slacked. Her eyes were void of any emotions as she found herself voiceless, not even able to form tears. She needed to get out of here. She did not care how, she only knew she needed to flee the scene before she was found out. She began walking backwards, her back hitting different people. He was staying by the door; she could not make it out. He would see her and if he saw her she would die. She was a hunted deer trapped with no escape. She could run away. No, she could not. If she ran, she would attract his attention and he would… he might say her name, he might chase her down… and she could not. She watched as he turned his head - and she panicked.

"Yo, Inuyasha."

Oh for - he was coming her way. Many ideas flashed through her mind but none of them would work.

"Hey watch it."

She reacted to the voice since this time the comment was directed at her. She was unable to see the speaker's voice but she took notice of his long brown ponytail swinging as he looked away from her and resume his conversation with his friends, the incident now past him. He was near a wall. A wall could work. Walls were good for hiding. Hiding - she could hide. Her brain was struggling to form a full idea, the alcohol slowing her down. She was scattered only focusing on the present moment and trying to figure out a way out of this impossible situation. Anything was better than facing Inuyasha. She did not think twice about it as she grabbed the guy's arm and tugged him in her direction.

"What -"

"I'm really sorry," she slurred out. Wow what happened to her speech. "I just - my ex is here. And I can't. I just - help me." She could feel the tears pooling in her eyes. The alcohol affected her brain and she could not make a clearer sentence than this. She hoped it would be enough.

It was all the warning he received before she grabbed the hem of his blue t-shirt and crashed her lips on his. At first, he felt tense against her body and her small hands kept the cotton fabric tightly held as though to prevent him from fleeing. After a beat, she felt him relax which helped her do the same. It was insane, she was insane. His large hands found her hips and he gripped her firmly before she felt the wall against her back. He backed them into the corner, his tall frame towering over her as he took control over the kiss. His lips moved smoothly against hers, washing away the taste of alcohol from her mouth. Warmth irradiated from him, increasing the feeling of buzz she experienced from the alcohol. It felt like he was crushing her with his much larger body as his tongue wrapped around hers.

Her cheeks turned red, her body became like laval and she found herself leaning her head backwards as his hands moved upwards, squeezing her hips. Dizzy. That was the word. For a moment, it all stopped; the party, the incoming doom. The kiss lasted a few more moments until finally she felt him pull away from her, leaving her lips glistening and swollen. Her eyes were half-lidded as she tried to make out his face, taking notice of his blue eyes. As she did so, she saw the silver hair far behind his head. He had gone passed her - and he had not noticed her. The sight of Inuyasha gave her a cold return to reality.

"Thanks."

It was all she had time to say before she dashed away from his view. She bumped into a few people - and objects - on her way out, but she made it. Sango be damned, she would text her. Never again. As she walked away from the front door, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand - they were still moist from previous ministrations.

She had kissed a stranger.

She had kissed someone for the first time since Inuyasha.

Meanwhile, back inside the house, he stood there, confusion taking over his features.

"Oi, Koga, you're okay?"

"Yeah."

"Who was that chick?"

"I have no idea."

He had his fair share of ladies throwing themselves at him, but he had to admit, this was a first. He had not quite understood the reason behind their little make out session but he did sense her panic. He had never seen that girl before and as someone who lived in a frat, he was familiar with nearly all of the girls. Maybe she was a freshman? His blood was still racing in his body from their little moment. There was a twitch in his nose as he tried to see if her scent was familiar to him, but it was not. She was a mystery girl.

He wanted to find out who she was.

-C-

"You owe me you know."

Sango came out of the bathroom, a yellow towel wrapped around her long black locks. "I was really worried." Kagome had disappeared on her without leaving a trace and had taken awful long time to reply to her. Sango had been worried that something happened to her or that someone had spiked her drink. She had not appreciated it. She accepted the fact that her friend was not a fan of the party lifestyle but she would have liked a warning.

"I told you, I didn't feel good," Kagome explained as she shoved one of her giant books into her brown leather bag. She did not want to share with Sango what happened - including the whole Inuyasha thing and  _the kissing a stranger_  thing. Sango had been begging her to see other people and go on dates and if she knew she kissed a perfect stranger, she would never hear the end of it. It was better this way.

"Uh, uh."

"I'll be let for my class," she explained as she threw her bag over her shoulder. "But, I will treat you to a nice dinner tonight," she offered with a smile.

"You better."

Kagome was like a sister to her and she had been worried sick when she went missing. Sango was not trying to give her a hard time but, she was trying to shake her from the downs she had been experiencing lately. How was she supposed to take her anywhere if she was going to disappear on her like this?

She offered Sango a smile wave of the hand before she exited their room, her back tensed. A sigh rolled off her lips as she the door behind her. The beginning of a semester was always a stressful times for her. She did not know what Inuyasha's classes and schedules were. What if she ran into him in the halls or worse; what if they had class together? She could not live through being stuck in the same space as him, 3 hours a week, every week. She would not survive it. She knew they did not have the same major but that did not mean that they would not end up crossing paths at some point. Life had a funny way of throwing him back in her face at any given moment.

She walked through the halls as she stared down at her phone. Usually, she organized herself the night before but Sango's little party had made her behind on her school schedule. A-235, Hall F. This was the little note she had left in her electronic agenda. She headed straight for it while glancing at her cellphone in her hand. The numbers 8:21 were staring back at her, flashing in white. She preferred to be more than 9 minutes early to class, but it would do for today. As the door came into view, Kagome could not help it but frown as she felt a shiver travel down her spine. Why was the big wooden door closed? She took quiet steps as she approached it and peeked through the tiny rectangle window, trying to see what was happening inside. Her eyes widened; the classroom was completely empty and void of life.

How could it be possibly be empty? There was no way she was the first to arrive.

Panic filled her chest, her heart thundering with every beat it took and she forced herself to run her tongue over her dry lips. Kagome grabbed the handle and opened the door, listening to it creaking. She went inside, hoping it would provide her more answers on the current situation. Unfortunately for her, the classroom was just as empty s it had appeared from outside. She let her arms fall to her side as her guts twisted, nausea rising up in her throat. Had she looked wrong? Did she think it was a different day than it was? She pulled out her calendar from her phone, panicked eyes staring at the screen, and she confirmed what she feared; she was in the right location. It was what was in her phone, and it was the right day. She had  _never_  been late for a class before… never in her life. What was she going to do now?

 _Creaaak_.

Her head spun in direction of the door as the sound echoed through her ears. Someone else was coming in! Maybe she had indeed been early and it so happened that nobody else cared bout being on time to class. She watched as a tall man walked in, his long brown hair neatly tied into a high ponytail, short bangs covering the right side of his forehead. She was about to shyly enquire about the class when she suddenly found herself staring at two deep blue eyes. Blue eyes that she  _recognized_. It was not possible. No, no, no. It was a bad joke, it had to be - because it could not be. He was  _the_  guy. Her mouth opened, only to close again. Did he recognize her too? Should she be saying something? Maybe apologize again? Dear god - this was the end of her. She was going to die of shame right here in this spot.

"That ain't right," he said as he glanced around at the empty classroom.

Months ago, back when he had scheduled his classes, he never actually planned on going. Now there he was, trying to be a good student… and the fucking classroom was empty? For fuck's sake.

Well there was  _one_  person at least. He looked less like a fucking moron. "Was the class cancelled?"

Oh  _god_  - he was talking to her. Words were actually coming out of his mouth. And she had to try and pretend that she was not dying of shame. She could do it… right? "Hm, I, eh, I don't think so…" That sounded perfectly normal right?

"Then where the fuck is everybody?" He was late - not early.

"I'm not sure." She could not even hear the sound of her own voice over the heartbeat of her heart.

As she turned her head to face him, he was face with a feeling of familiarity. "I know  _you_."

"I don't think so," she replied before tilting her head forward, forcing her bangs to cover a portion of her face.

Where did he know her from? He had not fucked her or he would at least remember her. She could not be from one of his classes - he did not attend enough classes to remember any of his classmates. He let his nose crinkle and twitch, trying to that in her scent.  _It was her scent that he knew!_

"You're the girl!"

"Excuse me?"

"The girl who kissed me!"

Oh crap. Really? How could he tell so easily? It had been dark, and - alcohol and noises! "I really don't think so," she repeated.

He smirked at her. "A youkai's nose doesn't lie."

Youkai? Great. It was like she had a magnet for anyone who was not human.

"I-I…"

"Came for seconds?"

He had not gotten the best look at her at the party, especially considering how fast everything had happened, but now that he had the time to look at her - she was cute. Her scent had left a pleasing trail behind and he had more than enjoyed their smooch. He might have felt a little  _used_  but now, he did not mind the kiss that they had shared. He found himself leaning forward, his body overshadowing hers and he felt a rumble in his chest. He watched as she held her breath, nervousness spiking her scent as he came closer to her.

 _Who did he think he was? Did he just -_  A flare of rage flew through her and before she could even stop herself, she was slapping him. The small echoed through the empty classroom, startling them both. As she watched his head turned to the side, a sense of panic filled her for a moment.  _Oh god_. Did she actually slap him?

She slapped him. She actually slapped him. He never had a woman slap him before - especially not a woman who had initiated the action. He could not help but scoff as he grabbed his face with his hand. She packed a punch for a tiny human. A youkai slapping human. That was a first. He did not know a lot of humans who would do that. She had guts.  _He liked her even more_. "Hey  _you_ kissed me," he pointed out with a smirk. He  _had been_  innocently talking to his friends when she had grabbed him and pressed her lips to his. And he was not about to let a slap stop him.

He had a point but it had not been done with the intention to seduce him. It was not her fault that she had been in a jam, and he had been her way to escape that situation. Nothing more. Not that she wanted to share her love life situation with a perfect stranger… A strange who she had just slapped. "It was an accident."

"The kiss or the slap?" She got flustered easily and he was getting a kick out of seeing her blush.

"Just - _ugh_  forget it! I need to figure out how to get to class."

As if on cue, a ding echoed through the emptiness of the classroom, getting both their attention. Kouga finally broke the eye contact with her to reach into the back pocket of his jeans and he pulled out his cellphone. Kagome waited as he stared at his phone with knitted eyebrows. It was not too long before he was groaning, tilting his head backwards in desperation. For  _fuck's sake_.

"We're in the wrong classroom."

"What?"

"The teacher switched the room."

No that could not be! If they had changed the classroom, she would know! She would have seen it yesterday when she… she did not…. Do it. Because of the party, she did not do her usual pre-school little preparation routine, and now for the first time in her life, she was going to be late for her class. Great, just  _freaking_  great. The amount of anxiety building inside of her forced tears to sting at her eyes - she was stuck between  _him_ , Inuyasha and the stress of school and she was not certain how much she could do without having to  _express_  that anxiety.

"Where is it?"

"Building next door."

As much as he wanted to tease her, he was mostly frustrated at the moment. Being this late for his first class was not going to help him achieve his new goals. Well,  _they were not_  his own goals that he wanted to attain, but they were the ones life had imposed on him. He was already struggling enough as it was and he did not need this on top of it. Now he needed to actually take the time to go over his classes' schedule and review every classes. He could not have this happen to him again.

"Come on," he said before sighing.

She wanted to protest against him, and she wanted t say that she was not going to follow him… but she could not say that. She had to follow him; it was her only option. She had not done much exploring and she was not very familiar with the many labyrinths of the hallways of her school. He seemed to know where he was going and if she followed him, she had a better chance of making it to her classes without being  _insanely_ late. However, she did intend on keeping a distance between them - there was no reason to give him any more ideas. Already, her little  _kiss_  had apparently been very misleading, despite the fact that she had  _outlined_  that it had been done out of necessity and not need.

Why did her life always end up like this?

-C-

After a torturous silent walk, they had made it to class slightly late. Luckily, they were not the only ones who were late, leaving the teacher to appear only a little bit irritated by all the latecomers. She had been relieved that her  _mystery_  man had not sat by her side. Instead, he had joined his friends on the other side of the room and she assumed they were the ones who information him of the change of location. She had also been relieved that this was not a class she shared with Inuyasha. She could live with being in the same classroom as her  _mystery_  man but not her ex boyfriend. On the down side, she did not know anyone in this class, forcing her to sit by herself. It was what she had to do during most classes. Times like these, she felt like Sango might have been right about her social life.

But that was fine.

Once the class was over, Kagome was quick to gather her things so that she could flee as rapidly as possible. She shoved her books in her leather bag, accidentally folding some pages by accident, but regardless of that she closed the flap and swung her bag over her shoulder. She was half way down the hall when she hard someone shout  _hey_. Somehow she did not need to turn around to look to know it was addressed to her and who was calling her. It was  _him_. Instead of giving him any kind of attention, she hurried down the hall, hoping that she would have enough time to disappear into the crowd. Her face was burning like fire as the sound of his voice echoed memories through her mind.

Hopefully he would leave her alone so that her shame could die down.

Meanwhile, Kouga was left trying to track down a girl who did not want to be followed.

"Hey Kouga! Where are you going?" called out one of his friends. His nearly white blond hair was in a mohawk leaving the sides of his head freshly shaved off.

"Nowhere."

Honestly, without being full of himself, he always felt like he had it quite easy with the ladies. Usually, a flash of his grin, a twinkle in the eyes, and he had their full attention. Though it could be quite easy, it was not as though he was going around, picking up every girl he came across. He was not a  _man whore_. Still, he enjoyed being able to have their quick attention. It was not the same with this girl. She had rejected all of his advances so far - and she had even run away from him. This was not a reaction he was used to…

"You know, being late to class isn't gonna help ya get good grades."

"I know."

"'Til you're runnin' again, you gotta do better."

" _I know_ ," he stressed.

As if he did not know how serious the situation was - he was the one living in it. He was well aware that if his grades did not go up, he was n trouble. It was hardly his fault though! He never had to pay attention to this kind of things… He never expected that he, a youkai, would be injured to the point that he would be unable to practice the sport that he loved. He was not dealing with that fact very well at the moment, and he was not certain how he was supposed to give up his love for running. Considering how important this was to him, he did not need anyone rubbing it in his face constantly, especially not by his friends.

"Maybe you should get a tutor," a second guy said. His hair was much different shorter and spiked up. The middle was white while the two sides of his head were a dark charcoal color.

"I don't need a fucking tutor."

"Dude, I don't think you even know how to study."

He had avoided exams for years by excelling on the track field, there was not a youkai in the world that was faster than him. Well at least, it was this way until his accident…

Kouga sighed as he watched a mane of dark hair retract into the crowd. A tutor huh?

Maybe he could do it.

-C-

This was not happening.

She refused to be late to another class.

And yet, there she was, hiding behind some looker like a coward, hoping that the gods would have some mercy on her. She had been innocently walking down the hall, minding her own business, when she saw him. He was there, standing tall and leaning against some metal yellow locker, chatting away with some of his friends. At least that  _girl_  was not there this time. Not that this was any of her concerns of course. He was a free man, free to do as he pleased. At least these were the words she told herself to try to get over the pain that was currently suffocating her. This was not who she was - this was not who she used to be. Before he wrecked her she had been different.  _She did not want to be this_.

"Hey Party Girl!"

No, no, no. Also, how in the world did she end up as party girl. At least that would not attract Inuyasha's attention.

"Please."

He arched an eyebrow, observing the expression painted all over her soft features. It was close to the one she had when she kissed him at the party that night; pure panic. Had she not also mumbled something about an ex-boyfriend? He tried to glance around but he could not see anyone that fit her caliber. Plus, except knowing that she had great taste in picking someone to kiss, he did not know much about her, or her preferences? Human? Youkai?

"Still avoiding your ex?"

Ugh, was it that obvious? "No?"

"I never did get to find out who he was."

"Why are you torturing me?"

He quirked an eyebrow: had he not been nothing but pleasant? "Just tryin' to help."

"I don't need it."

She did - but she was not quite convinced it was help that he could give her. The ideal thing for her would be to return to what her life was before it was shattered to pieces. Kagome tilted her head backwards and allowed herself to take a deep breath; she could do this. She would not let her life slip her for a second year. However, it did not matter how many encouragements she gave her body; it refused to move.  _Damn it_.

He enjoyed teasing her, despite how little she seemed to enjoy his flirting ways. However, his humor was vanishing now; she was not happy. She was in a complete state of freight and it upset him. What had that boy done to her that this fiery, feisty girl feared him? He did not like it. He had to come here to beg for a favor and try to get to know her a little bit, but now his plans were slowly changing. It could not be about him anymore - it had to be about her.

"Listen." He cleared his throat. "How about a trade?"

"What?"

"I help you, you help me."

She did not know if it was the insane amount of stress she was under, or the lack of sleep but - she could not understand what he wanted from her. "Help me?"

"Listen, I need some help with my classes."

"Why are you asking me? You don't even know me."

"I know you're smart."

"No, you don't."

He smirked. "I looked you up. I _know_  you're smart." It had taken him a long time to track her down. Nearly no one knew who she was, but in the end, he had been able to track down her name. It was some boy named Miroku who let it slip. He was about to find out a little bit about her - her presence on the internet was not big either. She excelled in her classes, she was a straight A student. She was what he needed. "I  _need_  to pass my exams."

His voice was different than before. He had the same fear she had when it came to Inuyasha. For the first time, instead of looking cocky and self assured, she saw something else behind his blue eyes. "And?"

"And in exchange, I'll make sure whoever you're avoiding - doesn't see you."

Actually, what he wanted to do was beat him to a pulp, but he was going to start with this for now.

She should say no. She did not know him - except she knew he was persistent. And yet, right now, as she was trapped like a chased animal, she wanted to say yes, she wanted to give in. Her choice were to say no, and get herself out of it on her own, or  _say yes_. She could feel the beads of sweat dripping down her necks, the hammering of her heart and the twisting of her guts as her glance flashed from his face, to the mane of silver hair. Did she really want to make a deal with a stranger?

There had to be a first to everything.

"Fine."

-C-


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was written for KogKag Week on Tumblr. 7 prompts 7 days. The story will be longer than 7 chapters but the week kicked off, so here were prompts for the 2nd day: Demons/Humans. I went with both.

 

One more.

Kagome yawned as she stretched her tensed body, hoping to relieve some of the tension that had build up. The first week had just ended friday finally coming to and end, and she already felt like she was crumbling beneath the weight of it all. She did not like to get behind, and so she decided to get ahead on her school work. It was the perfect time, on this great friday night, Sango was out celebrating like most of the other students. In her case, Kagome was now avoiding two very different type of men. Although, on the plus side, it did feel like the mystery stranger had vanished away from her life. She had not seen him again in the hallways and she was… somewhat relieved. Maybe he had found another girl to run after and had forgotten all about their little deal, which was good news; she did not need him to be getting any ideas about them.

As she allowed herself a long blink, a ding broke the silence of her room. She opened her eyes and searched her computer screen for the origin of the noise. It was not long until her eyes detected the email alert in the corner of the screen.

One thing.

She did not recognize the sender.

She clicked the semi-transparent yellow rectangle and it opened the email on her screen, the subject line staring at her:  _tutor_. It could not be. He did not know her name, she had not even given him any kind of information about herself. Her heart hammered in her chest as she allowed her eyes to roam across the rest of the email.  _You're not an easy girl to find Kagome Higurashi. Let me know when you're free :)._ This was a joke, it had to be. Also, he had to be a stalker. It was the only logical explanation as to why he was even able to find her. It was not like she had a herd of friends on facebook or that she was in a social club.

But, despite how startled she was, she could also feel guilt nestling inside of her chest. He had held his end of the bargain that time and now she was trying to weasel her way out of her side of the deal. This was not the type of person she was. So he was a little weird. She would simply make sure that they met up in a public place and it should not be an issue. Plus, it was not like she ever intended on inviting him in her room or anything like that. The library would do just fine. Her fingers were trembling as she began typing up a reply:  _Tomorrow. Library. 6pm. The table by the window - don't be late._ There. If he did not show up, it would be on him and then she would be free of any obligation.

Ding.

 _I'll be there_.

That was quicker than anticipated.

A loud groan escaped heras she let her head hit the keyboard. Did she had just set up an appointment with the stranger she randomly kiss?

Oh god.

-C-

The sun was casting a bright light upon the dark wooden table as Kagome sat close to the window, her shoulder resting upon the glass. Her fingers were fidgeting with the edge of her yellow book, nervousness spreading through her body. She allowed her eyes to glance at the screen of her cellphone: 5:59. He was not here yet and part of her was hoping that he would not show up - especially since she was starving. Her class had run late and she had not been given a chance to grab food before heading to the library and now she was suffering the consequences of that lateness. Her stomach was growling loudly, cramps stabbing at her from the inside. She lifted her eyes from the table, looking ahead to see if she could catch a glimpse of a long ponytail but nothing.

"Looking for me?"

A gasp echoed through the quiet room while she nearly jumped out of her skin, her heart beating in her throat. Her mouth felt like cotton while a weak hand palmed at the silky fabric of her shirt. She barely dared to turn her head, not wanting him to see in what state he had put her in.

He sat down beside her, a grin on his face. He had meant to arrive sooner than this but life had not been on his side. He had thought that making a good impression was valuable and had opted to pick up some food for the two of them. Of course, he had never considered the fact that there might be a line… At least, he had managed to make it for six o'clock; he had a feeling she would not have waited around for him. But, he did get something for his troubles which he did show to her by dropping a paper bag on the table.

"Hungry?"

"No." Yes.

"I'm famished." Although he was no longer doing the same type of training as before, his body still demanded the same type of intake as before.

"How did you find me?"

"What?"

"How did you find out my name?"

Her smirked; he figured that question would come up. Although it was hardly his fault; if she had been more helpful and had forwarded more information from the start, he would not have been forced to resort to digging around. "Classroom list. You were the only name I didn't know." Alright, there was more than  _one_ name he did not recognize, but an easy elimination process led him to  _her_.

Oh - she had not thought of that. Fine, maybe he was not  _that_ creepy.

"Do you have your book?"

"My book?"

"Yes - to study."

"I haven't bought my books yet." As a matter of fact, he never bought any books at all. Why would he? If he did not need to study then he did not need the book: simple logic.

She sighed; he was not going to make this easy on her, was he?

"We'll share." She moved her book to the middle so that the both of them would be able to see. "Is there anything in particular that you struggle with?"

"All of it." It was not that he was an idiot. It was simply that given the speed o his legs, he had focused his attention elsewhere in the past. If he actually took the time to study, from the beginning, he would be fine after a few weeks. But because there was so much to do, he felt like he was drowning and he did not know where to begin.

"Okay,  _look_." She softly shook her head. "I have a big class load. I don't have time to waste helping some big youkai jock who doesn't wanna help himself." Deal or no deal, she would not haven him waste her time.

There were two types of sport teams across campus: a human one and a youkai one. Everyone knew the human teams had to work twice as hard to keep their scores ad physical shape. Youkai were naturally athletics and did not have to put in as much effort into it. Despite that, he was telling her that he never found a moment to pick up a book? She did not have time for this.

"Who says I'm a jock?"

"Who else wouldn't have their books?"

He could not help but chuckle; he had not met a girl with such fire in a long time. She did not care for his charms or about the fact that he was a youkai: nothing stopped her speaking her mind. He liked that about a woman.

"Well, I ain't a jock. At least not anymore. Can't be a jock if you can't run."

Her eyebrow quirked: could not run? He made it sound like it was permanent. They both knew that youkais were not vulnerable like humans and that a permanent injury was - a rare occurrence unlike with humans. Yes, they often did stupidities with the intention of showing up, but these injuries were always temporary. Yet, he had the face of a dead man walking. Why?

It did not take long for his nose to detect a shift in the air. "Guess youkais aren't as easy to peg down as you humans think heh?"

Although there was a peaceful cohabitation and most people did not have a problem mingling it did nothing to lessen the stereotypes that plagued both of the species. He himself was guilty of it, as he had thought that he was invincible but life had decided to prove him wrong. It was the influence of those around him. His fraternity was made up of youkais and humans, and - well  _some_  of them liked to show off. Humans could not do as much as youkais, and usually, they could be easily impressed. It meant that youkais got a big head and did stupid shit they should not be doing. And that was exactly what he did. Everything told him that he would be back to his old self in no time - but something inside of him felt different ever since. He could not explain it with words but it was  _there_.

"Sorry."

She had nothing against jocks - or youkais - or him as a matter of fact. Inuyasha had complained a lot about full youkais, stating that they took advantage of the system and of how easy it was for them. He hated how little they had to work compared to everyone else. Of course, he also often compared himself to his half brother who was a full youkai. However, she did know that not all youkais were as egoful as Inuyasha painted them out to be. He did have a lot of resentment and pain when it came down to his hanyou nature, and he constantly felt stuck between two words.

"Sorry," he said as he messed up his own bangs. "It's just one of these things." He cleared his throat, trying to forget about his legs. "How 'bout we get started?"

She forced herself to put a smile on her face; maybe she had judged him a little too harsh. "Sure."

-C-

"You're back late."

Sango had been quite surprised when she returned to the room well past ten at night, on a friday night, and found it empty. At first, she thought that perhaps Kagome had gone home to the shrine, but a quick glance in the room had disproven that theory: all her bags were still there. Part of her had hoped that Kagome was slowly coming out of her shell, but she knew better. Kagome was not that type. Still, time ticked away and her friend did not return - until comment had slipped her - she had not meant for her to think she could not be out and about. It was not as though she was trying to shame her, as a matter of fact, she was hoping to hear the tale of a great, eventful evening.

"Yeah, sorry." She tilted her head to the side, hoping to hide the faint blush on her cheeks. "Lost track of time." By which she meant that she had embarrassed herself. Once he stopped talking, he let her talk and he never stopped her which meant she went on and on without a pause - and he never stopped her.

"Doing what?" she asked with a smirk.

"Studying." If she was more explicit than that about what she did, she would never hear the end of it and Sango would never let it go. It was best to keep it as it was.

"Where?" Kagome had always studied in their room.

"Library."

"Uh."

"Yup." She could feel sweat beads rolling down the back of her neck. She did not enjoy lying and she was not very skilled at it… but this was not a lie. Maybe an omission? After all, Sango did not ask her if she was with someone or anything like that.

"All by yourself?"

Crap.

"Study group." Two people could be a group right? "I'm trying to be more social."

"Good."

Kagome felt relief as she hoped this was the conclusion of that conversation. Honestly, she did not need any more questions about Kouga. Although she had to admit that his situation had now caught her attention. He had been vague but something had happened, she was sure of it. Also why was it that someone who never cared about their studies was now completely fascinated by them. Something did not add up and though it did not concern her, she found herself pulling her laptop out its protective sleeve as she laid down on her light blue comforter. She did not have his full name, but if he were an athlete, she shold be able to find him though the school's newspaper website - and  _voila_. Kouga Takashi. Although the latest headline had her frowning;  _promising athete injured._ It was rare that one would see a youkai make an injury headline, and yet there he was. It could only mean one thing: it was bad.

She hovered her clicker on it and then pressed. Her eyes skimmed the screen while she tightly pinched her lips together. Oh. It did not say much about how it occurred but it did say that it was bad enough that he would be benched for the session from the track team. No wonder his focus had suddenly shifted. Someone like him was probably here on a sport scholarship. Great, now she felt bad for him… She knew what it was like to have your life and your plans shattered in front of you with no back up plan in store. He had lost everything. Although - he was not human. A human would have no hopes of ever returning to the field, but he was a youkai. Surely he would eventually be able to heal and get his life back together right?

Maybe she could be a little nicer. She opened up an email and quickly typed up his name - no object line.  _Next week, same time, same place_. And sent.

She shut the lid and let out a sigh.

-C-

The sound of shoes hitting the ground: that was his favorite sound. Although now it was associated with heartache, but he still chose to torture himself by listening to it day after day. It was not like his schedule could be like before: no practice, no team meetings. Sure, he hung out with the guys at the fraternity and he was present at parties - but it was simply was not the same as before. Now the night had fallen and the track was almost empty, quietness surrounding the sound of the steps. As he stared ahead, the sound of someone quickly walking made his ears twitch. He could not help but turn his head to the side, causing him to spot a familiar sight: it was her. Kagome. She was walking so close to the fence that he was surprised that she had not walking through it. He did not know she had an interest for the track team - then again, he had not asked. She was staring into the distance, as though she was looking for someone. Was it a friend or was it her ex?

He was not a hundred percent convinced as to what attracted him to her, but it was there. He had hooked up with a few humans in the past, but he could not say they fell within his preferences. He was known to be intense at times, and humans did have a reputation for being a little breakable. Although - she did not seem like that. Even when she was trying to hide and fade into the decor, she had a bright fire burning inside of her and it was captivating. There was more than she was showing - and he found himself enchanted by her - despite how little she seemed to return his interest.

Kouga tried to follow her line of sight and it led him to a group of three people. They felt familiar but he was not friends with them or anything - perhaps acquaintances. He watched as two of them walked away, leaving their silver haired friend behind. Immediately, his eyes traveled back to Kagome, but he saw that her glance had yet to waver. It was the hanyou boy she was looking at with such sorrows in her blue eyes. Kagome did not strike him as the type of girl who grabbed random guys and made out with them. That hanyou had to have wrecked her. Suddenly, he saw her expression shift and he was forced to look at her ex. He had a beaming smile on his face as a dark haired girl walked in his direction. She rushed to him and then planted a smooch on the hanyou's lips.

Oh crap. And she was just watching it happen?

No.

"Hey party girl." Although the nickname was unbefitting of her, she turned her head.

He saw shame color her cheeks as though she had been caught in the midst of an embarrassing act. Still, she detached herself from the fence and despite the fact that he thought she would ignore him, she headed in his direction. Her long hair was wrapped up in a ponytail which was swinging to the left due to the powerful winds. He scooted to the right, offering her a spot on the wooden bench.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're stalking me." He did not want her to know that  _he_ knew why she was there.

She chuckled. "Making sure you're studying."

Kagome did not have it in her to rebutt - she needed a simple conversation. If it were not for her shame, she would have ran away. She should not even be here. But she had seen  _him_  and somehow she had found herself heading in his direction. She had never seen Inuyasha practice his different sports; he had broken her heart before she had a chance to cheer him on. For once, he had been without his new girlfriend, and she had found herself longing. She missed their relationship, but she also missed him as a person. He had been her best friend, her confident - her everything. Her entire life had shattered in one small moment.

"Then you got me." He had tried, he really did. However, there was something about sitting down in front of a book, that he simply could not do. After a while, he always seemed to lose his focus.

She did her best to smile at his comment but her heart was not in it. She simply could not pour her heart out to a stranger.

"Getting ready for a party?"

She frowned. "It's thursday."

The way she stated it as though he had said the most horrific thing in the world hand hum chuckling: she was an innocent one. "You know there's parties every night right?"

"Don't people have school? Classes?" She barely managed to get enough sleep as it was. How did these people manage a social life, a party life and a school life? She would never be able to make it. Already her schedule had shifted from fitting in tutoring sessions.

"I don't think people mind. Sleep is overrated."

"For a youkai maybe."

He chortled. "Hey - now we like our sleep too."

"But you don't need it." Which was unfair - it gave them an advantage. If she pulled out an all nighter, she would be a mess the next day.

"We might not need it, but we sure got used to it."

Despite being different than humans, youkais had learned to adapt to a lifestyle that was not their own. They followed the same routine as humans, converting their schedule and way of life. Through the centuries, most had given up the real youkai life. It was simpler to blend in then to go against the flow. Humans had begun to overpopulate the world, and it seemed like the best decision to ensure their survival. Now, they did quite a few things out of an automatism, more than out of necessity and it had become widely accepted by all youkais.

"I'm sure I look a lot worse than you after an all nighter."

"Doubt it - I'm sure you still look cute."

The unexpected compliment forced him to furiously blush, her pale cheeks rapidly filling with a bright red color. Her lips cracked as she pinched them together, turning her head away from his sight.

"So you can kiss me, but I can't compliment you?" Teasing her was too easy, and he was unable to let any opportunity pass by.

Well, that did not help. "I wasn't - It wasn't…."  _Gah_ , why did he force her to explain this embarrassing situation over and over again? Just as she had begun to forget about him…

"You're a great kisser."

Argh! How was he even expecting her to put two words together when he kept talking to her like that? This was why she was not meant for the party life, drinking and hooking up with random strangers.

"Although a second try might confirm it better." He knew he was not getting another kiss but he did like the way she got all flustered. As long as he was not getting another slap… then again… he did not  _dislike_  it.

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't think so."

"Ouch? That bad huh?" he inquired with a smirk plastered on his face.

Gah… well it was - not it had not been horrible… but it was not about that. "I'm not that kind of girl," she finally said as she dared to meet his gaze.

"Didn't think so," he answered without skipping a beat.

A silence installed itself between them, and Kagome was left wondering about the mystery youkai sitting beside her. She could say without a doubt that other girls had kissed him in the past, so what was his deal? Was he a player? Did he like a challenge? Whatever his intentions were, she remained suspicious.

"Why me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you ask me to tutor you? Why do you talk to me?" Sure, he was a little - _erm_ \- intense at times, but he did not seem like he was a  _bad_  guy.

"Why not?"

"You don't know me."

"I have to know the people I talk to? Now how did I ever even make friends in the first place?"

"Ah. Ah. You know what I mean."

"Maybe I think you're interesting."

"Because I'm human."

He arched an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You're a youkai."

"So I have to find humans interesting?" He did not have an opinion about them, they were neither fascinating or boring. "Why do you find youkais interesting?"

What did he want her to answer? She did not have a fascination with them. She had dated one hanyou and had tried to date a human but in the end, neither attempts had led to a happy ending. But she did find youkai history and mythology much more interesting than her own. "I think there's a lot to discover."

Most people did not see youkais as discovery or source of knowledge. Actually most humans feared all the things a youkai could know, and yet she appeared intrigued. That was girl was unusual. Most human female who had an interest in youkai had it for a physical reason. Their stamina particularly.

"I should head back," she said, breaking the silence.

"I'll walk ya."

"Oh no, please - it's fine."

"It's late," he rebutted. "And I was leaving anyways."

What was the point in arguing. "Thanks."

As they began walking, he noticed that the silver haired hanyou remained present on the field. Although he was dying to find out why that idiot had dropped a girl like Kagome, he refrained from asking questions. However, he could still do something. He let out a quiet whistle, far too quiet for Kagome's human ears, but it was very audible to the ears of an hanyou. As expected, the hanyou turned his head in direction of the sound and for a brief second, they made eye contact. Kouga never let his smirk falter, not even as he broke the glance to stare at Kagome instead. Granted it was  _part of the deal_ but it sort of was. She just did not know that she needed him to suffer for what he did.

Maybe that would teach him a lesson.

-C-

"Sango?"

"Yes?"

"Please stop staring at me."

"I'm not staring." Oh she was staring alright and she would stare until Kagome would crack.

She should have known it was a mistake. When Kouga said he would walk her home, she thought he meant he would walk her to the building. But no, he had something else entirely in mind: her front door. So not only had she kissed him, but she had led him to her dorm. And because that was not enough, Sango had been coming home at the exact same time as them. Obviously, her friend had not said anything but it had been written all over her face ever since. Kagome was not getting out of this one, hence why she wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Just ask."

"Ask about what?" She would be lying if she said that she did not enjoy torturing her friend. Sango was also using it to gage her friend's feelings towards the mystery boy. Kagome was not one to bring boys back to the dorm and Sango was dying to find out more.

"Sango."

"Fine, fine," she said as she set her books down in front of her. "Who is he? Where did you meet him? Also, your room on the first night?"

"He's a guy from one of my classes…" Could she use this answer to pretend that this was also where she met him? If she talked about the party… Sango would never let her live it down. "I met him at the party," she mumbled with resignation. What was the point of lying? Sango would pry it out of her as well.

"You met him where?" For sure her ears were playing tricks on her.

"The party."

"You didn't tell me!"

"Because there was nothing to tell," she defended.

"You met a guy at a party! I call that a pretty big story. How did you talk to him?" Kagome had not gone to the party with the intention to mingle: how did she end up befriending a fratboy?"

Oh boy. This was the story she truly did not want to tell, the one thing that would make this conversation unravel. Could she dare to say it? "I sorta…" and then she mumbled the rest, rendering it inaudible to Sango's ears.

"You what?"

"I kissed him."

Sango was forced to slowly blink as she tried to let the information slowly sink in. Kagome -  _her Kagome_  - had kissed a stranger at the party? She could not even find words to speak or ask questions. Her bafflement was too great for her to string words together.

"It wasn't like that," Kagome began, pulling her out of her misery. "I - I saw Inuyasha…. I panicked and he was about to see me…"

"So you grabbed the very first guy and kissed him?"

"Basically," she replied, trying not to wince.

"And now you're friends?"

"We're not friends - I tutor him."

Tutored him? Why did these words sound familiar to her? Oh -  _wait_. Sango's face stretched into a grin. "That's what you were up to on friday night!" Study group -  _please_. Kagome had actually been keeping this from her for a while now.

"It wasn't like that!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to get any ideas! I know you're worried about me. I know you think I don't go out enough. I know you think I should date - and I didn't want you to think I was out there trying to meet people." There was nothing wrong with socializing but Kagome wanted to get there on her own - she did not want to be coerced into it.

Now Sango felt guilty nestling inside of her chest; she never meant to pressure Kagome to the point where she felt forced, she was only trying to help her friend. "Kag, I'm not just trying to ship you off to a new guy. I just don't want you to miss out on anything. I don't want  _him_  to take that from you. If you tell me this  _guy_ is just a friend - or nobody… I believe you."

"Thank you."

"Although - you do have to dish out a little… is he a good kisser?" It had been weird to ask personal questions about Inuyasha since all o them had been friends but this guy was a completely stranger.

Once more, Kagome found herself blushing. "It wasn't bad."

"I hear youkais have some extra skills compared to humans," she said with a grin. Although she had nothing against youkais, she had never dated outside of the human race.

"I don't really know." Hojo and her had barely gone on two dates and there had not been anything physical between them. Inuyasha had been her only serious boyfriend and has an hanyou he was stuck between two worlds.

"Better than Inuyasha?" It was not the name that either of them loved bringing up the most, but Sango was intrigued by what Kagome would have to say. They needed to be able to say his name, speak about him. Until Kagome could do that, she would never be over him.

"Sango, we kissed  _once_." She could not compare kissing the love of her life with kissing a stranger. Yet, it had been nice. Yes, for a moment, she had forgotten all about her panic, about Inuyasha - but she could not possibly begin to compare the two of them.

"Hey, maybe he's truly amazing and one kiss is enough."

"It was fine."

"Just fine?"

"Sango!"

"Come on, it's the first time we can gossip about this."

"'I'd rather we didn't. I'd prefer not to hear all the things Miroku does when the two of you are alone…" She already knew what they did in front of people… there was no need to add to that collection of memory.

"Fine, keep your mystery youkai a secret." Kagome was a peculiar human with an attraction for the opposite. For a human, she had a temper that would rival some youkais' tempers. No wonder her attention always seemed to divert towards them. It was actually why it had worked so well between Inuyasha and Kagome. She was the only one who could go head to head with him, and she was certain that was why Inuyasha fell for Kagome in the first place.

"He's not my youkai." They were not friends. At best, there were study buddies.

Kagome sighed as she leaned backwards; youkai or human, it did not matter. She was not ready to be involved with anyone - regardless of their species.

Alone was good.

-C-


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here were prompts for the 3rd day: Separation/Devotion. I took a little spin on the separation. Obviously the whole Inu!Kag, but also, just Kouga and Kagome separating themselves from who they used to be now, and becoming new people due to their lives circumstances.

 

"Morning sunshine."

"Kouga -  _buy_  your book."

It was the third time! Instead of sitting with his friends as he had done during the first class, he had instead opted to sit beside her -  _again_. The reason for that had made itself clear quite rapidly; he had wanted to borrow her book. The first time, she had agreed, reluctantly. The second time, she had sighed. Now? She was putting her foot down.

"I will, I swear."

"You said that last week and the week before," she pointed out.

Honestly, he had no defence, especially since he was doing it on purpose. She had not been very receptive on the different signals he had thrown her way, and this was one of the ways he had found to close the distance between them. Although, apparently, it was not working as well as he had originally hoped for…

"Maybe if you came with me, you'd be sure that I'd get it."

He had to be the least subtle guy she had ever met in her life. It did not matter to him that she never played into his little fucking games: it never stopped him from doing it. How did she end up kissing him out of  _all_  the guys at that party?

"I - hm, I have things to do."

"Like what?" He knew that she was good at avoiding him, although he was not convinced that it was him per say that she was trying to avoid. It felt like she was not a fan of social interactions with strangers.

"Study."

"Good, I need to study too."

"We're not friday."

He laughed. Any other man might have walked away from her, knowing there were no hopes, but, he was not like them. Then again, maybe he at least needed to revisit his strategy. Cockyness was not working on her - although she had not chased him away yet either… Hmm.

"You know, we could see each other on other days than friday."

"Hey Kouga."

Both him and Kagome turned their heads to look at the newcomers; they were his friends. They did not even wait to be greeted back: instead they simply sat beside them in the empty seats. Great, now she did not only have Kouga, she also had his friends to deal with. She stole a quick glance at Kouga's face and noticed that he was not very pleased with the sudden intrusion. His blue eyes were narrowed, his lips were pinched and she could see the pulsing of the vein in his neck.

"Guys."

"Kouga, you abandon us for a girl?"

"We're hurt." The teasing in their voices was obvious and they could barely hold back their grins. Usually, when Kouga would hit on a girl, it would not be too long until they found out her indentity and within a week, they would see her at the fraternity. This was different. They had spotted that girlw ith Kouga more than once and yet they had not been introduced, which led them to the only possible conclusion; Kouga was losing his touch. And so, they were there to help their friend out of a difficult situation.

Obviously, he was not seeing it right now but later he would thank them.

"What do you two want?"

"Us?" Ginta inquired as he feigned indignation. His palm found his chest as he dramatically tilted his head backwards. "We were just wondering the identity of the lady who stole you away."

Oh yeah, he was going to kill them. It was hard enough to convince her to  _tutor_  him… this was not going to help.

"You can have him back," Kagome said with a smile. "Just a heads up, though - he's probably going to steal your book."

Ginta could hardly help it but look at her with a twinkle in his eyes: he liked that girl. "As if that was new."

"I don't think he owns a single book from any of his classes."

Were they there to help him or bury him?

Kagome was helpless against the laughter that escaped her lips. At least she was not the only one who picked up on his bad habits.

"But really, you shouldn't let that stop ya."

"As his tutor, I'll have to disagree." This was a good way to clear up the situation without offending anyone.

"Oh."

"Ah."

"You're  _her_."

She was the mystery tutor. They had only managed to extract minimal information concerning his tutor and now it all made sense as to why he did not want to spill the beans. For a moment, Hakkaku almost wondered if it were true tutoring but considering the girl's attitude - he had no doubts this was for real. It was actually nice to see Kouga's charms fail for once. It might actually help tone down his display of cockiness. Then again, it was Kouga… he might need a lot more than that to break down that cocky attitude of his. But - maybe she could do it.

"So you've been stealing him every friday."

"Yeah, thanks for that. It actually gives us a chance to say a word or two during parties now." It was not really that Kouga did not et them talk, it was mostly that girls would automatically go to him. That was hardly his doing.

Kouga's eyes narrowed; they were definitively not helping.

"Glad I can help." They were slightly different than Kouga - less cocky - but they had the same kind of energy about them.

"You know, as a way to thank you, you should come to a party this friday."

"It'll be great."

"I don't think so."

"We'll even keep Kouga away from you," Ginta offered with a smile.

A low growled echoed through the room, but it did not scare Ginta and Hakkaku.

"It would be fun."

After the terrible kiss-Inuyasha event, she had promised herself that she would not attend another party ever again. She could not risk putting herself in such a situation again. Her bottom lip trembled as it truly dawned on her why she had avoided all type of social interactions; he would always be there, lurking in the corner. Even if it was not there, the shadow of his presence would always be there and she would never be able to escape it.

It did not take a genius to sense the shift in her scent. It was the same scent she had anytime her ex was involved. Obviously after the incident that occurred lat time, there was no chance he would see her at a party again. She would be too terrified to ever come in contact with her ex again. But… that was something that he could offer her? He did not know her whole story or why an asshole like him threw away a girl like that. However, he did know that he could offer her peace of mind. It sort of fell under the umbrella of their deal did it not? He was in charge of the fraternity, and he made the decisions.

"Only our own frat will be there - no outsiders," he began, the intensity of the gaze in his eyes forcing her to stare at him. "Except those we invite, but as you can see with these two idiots, it's girls."

Kagome felt a lump in her throat, he had seen right through her. It sent a shiver down her spine. Why was she such an open book? It rendered her absolutely defenseless.

"A party isn't really my scene." Inuyasha was not her  _only_  reason not to go wild at night.

"Are you sure?" It was not about the kiss. It was not about the party mood - it was about seeing her somewhere other than a library.

"Yes, but thank you."

"Alright, students. Let's begin."

And for now, it was the end of that. He was not given a chance to push the issue further, he was not able to make an argument as to why it would be good for her. For now, he would let it go - but he did know two people who would need a good talking to after class.

-C-

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?"

"Now, now, we were just trying to help."

"Let's face it, with that girl, you don't got it."

"And belittling me and puttin' me down helps me how exactly?"

"We were trying to make her feel the friendliness."

"I ain't friendly?"

"It's not that you're not friendly." Oh boy, was there even a way to say this without getting himself in trouble?" They had really done it to help him out of a difficult situation. "It's just that -"

"She's not going for your flirting."

"Like not at all."

"We thought that -maybe you could go the friend route."

"She doesn't seem like the type of girl you one night - and she's your tutor."

"Ya barely know her - what if it doesn't work out?"

"It's better to know her first."

Kouga had been friends with only one girl during the past few years, and it had not turned out too good for him. She had fallen in love with him and it had not turned out too good for him. She had fallen in love with him and he did not return their feelings which had effectively ended their friendship for good.

"Her friend?"

Kouga was a good guy, but sometimes he could be a little impatient, reckless and get ahead of himself. This was them trying to help him out.

"What would be the harm?"

He did not know what it was, he did not know how to explain it, but he did know there was something about her that fascinated him and had him coming back for more. But, they were not wrong. As much as he was having a blast teasing her about the whole tutor thing, it had made a difference. She might not have noticed it since she was busy focusing on tiny details like the fact that he did not have his books, to see that he was actually putting an effort into this. It was rather difficult for him because anything he took a step away from running he felt as though he was abandoning his dream, giving upon running and separating himself from who he used to be. It was not something he enjoyed dwelling upon.

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"That's it?"

"No arguing?"

"No rebuttal?"

"I said fine. Don't you two idiots have practice?"

They gulped - they did not enjoy speaking about running or practices in front of him; they did not see the need of rubbing in the story of his injury.

"Yeah."

"Then go."

He did not wait for them to argue any further. Instead, he threw his bag over hi shoulder and began heading down the hall. This was going to be a long fucking semester.

-C-

"Tutoring?"

Kagome snapped her head up at the sound of Sango's voice. She managed a weak nod before finishing to load up her bag. Kouga was not going to have his books meaning she had to make sure she had hers or this entire thing would be pointless.

Sango could not help her quirk of the eyebrow. Why was Kagome nervous? It was not her first tutoring session. There was no reason for her to be in a panic.

"You okay?"

"I'm great."

It had been a quick moment. She had forgotten her book in class and after cursing herself for being such a distracted person, she hurried back to class to retrieve it and that had been her mistake. It had only taken one little moment off schedule to send her life unravelling into pieces. She saw him. Actually seeing him was not the right description of the events that took place; she ran smack dab into him. They collided which resulted in her falling unto the ground. And as if that was not enough, he also helped her up from the ground -which she only allowed because she had yet to realize it was him. But once his hand had grabbed hers, she had known. She even dared to look up at his golden eyes. After that, shame took a hold of her and she scampered off as best as she could - without her book. The fact that he had called her name out as she ran away had not helped the situation at all.

Now, she was shaken. She had managed to avoid him so well, and the last time she had been close to him was at the party but they had been far apart and it had not involved any kind of physical contact. Now, she was impregnated by his scent and she could still feel his lingering touch on her skin. The thought of it was enough to fill her eyes with tears.

"Kagome." Sango had her hand on her arm, concern shining in her eyes as she tried to get her to open up.

"I'm gonna be late."

She did not even give Sango a chance to reply as she dashed out of the room. She loudly closed the door behind herself, her back slamming against it as she did so. Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to slow down her heart down: she had to hide her emotions deep within or someone's youkai nose would be able to detect them and she was not in the mood to avoid the same awkward conversation twice. Once she felt a little more in control, she began a slow walk to the library. After all, there was no rush; he was never early.

But after a long walk, Kagome learned that she was wrong this time. He was not only on time, but early.

By the time she reached the library he was head deep into… his book. He actually got the book this time - and not only that but he was reading on his own while he waited for her… She did not know who the man standing in front of her was but it was not Kouga. He was so engrossed in what he was reading that she had the time to reach the table before he even clued in on her presence.

"Hey," he finally said as he tore his eyes away from his book so that he could flash her a grin.

"Hey," she said as she walked around the table to sit beside him. "You have your book," she added as though she did not believe it.

He smirked; this was definitively helping him score some points. "I figured it was the least I could do."

She sat down, pulling her book out of her bag. "How much have you done?"

"I read half of this week's chapter."

"How much did you understand?"

"Almost all of it. Apparently it pays off to pay attention in class." If he was better organized, he could probably sped the next few days reading it through and he would most likely get enough of the material to pass the class. But he did not want to do that.

She had to admit, she was impressed. Though she almost had to wonder what caused such a turn around for him. What happened to the disorganized, cocky guy that asked to borrow her book earlier this week? "Okay, so what do you need help with?"

He was trying to do as the boys had suggested; but it was not really worked. He did not see a difference in her attitude towards him - then again, it was the first time he had not greeted her with a charming line. But he needed to find something that could turn her behavior around. The invitation the boys had thrown her way still stood even though she had rejected it. It was tonight and perhaps there was enough time left for him to change her mind and turn it all around. He hated that he agreed with the guys - but his interest in her was the obvious proof that he wanted to know more about her. Her fierceness had sucked him in since the first gaze. And that kiss? It was hard to forget how nice she had felt all pressed up against him, melting against his body. He was definitively not against doing a repeat of that event.

And so, he began by letting her help him. He came up with questions, sitting perfectly still by her side, and time slowly ticked away. Usually, he threw a few of his lines in there, but today he made a point to keep his lips tightly shut. She appeared to be completely lost into it with her body being near his which allowed him to smell her hair every time she moved. It smelled like vanilla and it reminded him of that night. Although at that time, her skin had also been tainted with a scent of alcohol - but not this time.

"Kouga?"

"Huh?" Crap.

"Are you listening?"

At first, she had been slightly thrown off by his change in attitude. Usually, he would stop her once in a while but today he let her blabber away ad listened patiently. Originally, she believed it but now he looked more lost in thoughts than anything else.

"I am," he defended.

"What did I say?"

"That you really want to come to the party tonight."

"Kouga."

"I'm kidding. You explained the theorem, and I got it."

At least, he was paying a little bit of attention.

"But I still think you should come tonight." It was getting close to the end of their little session and they were running out of time.

"I really don't think so."

"Because of me or because of him?"

Just the mention of him was enough to leave a bad taste in her mouth; why was he even bringing her ex up? If he thought that would convince her to attend - well he was wrong. "Maybe I just don't wanna go."

He sighed; he did not mean it like that. "I just think you should come."

"Why," she challenged. "Give me a valid reason and maybe I'll think about it."

Everyone said she should go out as to not miss out on all the college life had to offer. But what if she did not want that life? What if it had nothing to do with Inuyasha and everything to do with who she was as a person deep down? How come nobody had taken the time to consider that instead? Why did it always have to do with her separation? She was someone before she was with Inuyasha and she was someone after. Why could no one see the line that divided her from who she was? Although she had been quite down over the breakup, Inuyasha did not make up everything that she was. She was someone separate from him, she was her own person. She loved him but he did not get to dictate every aspect of her and her life. Maybe she never liked the party life? And maybe it had nothing to do with dissociating herself from Inuyasha.

"They are not what you think that they," he began. Yes, a lot of the things she assumed took place, really did happen, but there was also so much more than that. "In class, you're alone. In the hallway, you're alone." He did not mean to sound like a stalker but, he had spotted her more than once. "I've only ever seen you with your roommate."

"You don't know my whole life."

"I don't have to - I can tell you're putting yourself in isolation, you're separating yourself from everything. I don't know what that asshole did to you. I know it was bad enough that you preferred kissing a stranger rather than seeing him. I also know that you're social and you light and come alive around others. I don't see why someone like you wouldn't like having  _clean_  fun with friends. You're letting what he did to you ruin you. And I think that's a waste. A lot of people would gain a lot by getting to know you.

If he had not blown it before, he had now. A long sigh rumbled through his chest as he pulled himself away from the table. It was best for him to leave before he made the situation any worse - and yet there was a part of him that found all of this unfair. "If I could run - if I could be who I used to be, I would."

Kouga had never addressed his accident. He did not talk to his friends about it, and he could not tell anyone. A few of the school's newspapers had called him to get a line or even a comment and he had turned them all down. It was not a topic that he wanted to bring up and yet he was telling her. She had a chance to make a new life for herself, to devote herself to something new. It was impossible that everything she was - came down to that boy. But everything he was, was tied up to his running. There was no separating him and running. It was  _what_  he was, and it was taken from him. "Thanks for the session. See you in class."

His words left a bittersweet taste in her mouth, what was she supposed to say to that? She had heard how broken his voice was, how the pain had been laced with his tone. She had only been able to locate minimal information about his injury and she was beginning to understand why that was. As much as she was not talking about Inuyasha, he was doing the same with his accident. She almost wondered if his display of cockiness was also tied into that. It did not matter. Now he was gone, and she was at the library by herself. This was how she preferred it - separated from the world. That way, she could not be bothered.

And yet - somehow, his words kept echoing in her head.

-C-

"Hey Kouga."

Kouga snapped his head up with a quirked eyebrow.

"Some chick is asking for you."

A girl asking for him? He was already picturing the worst. "Boys, I call a break."

"You can't call a break during beer pong."

"I just did," Kouga replied before throwing the white ping pong ball in one of his fraternity brother's face. Whatever was waiting for him, he wanted to deal with it now. He tried to look ahead, through the cloud of people, but it was to no avail. To top it all of, there were too many scents for him to pick one up from the crowd. But when he finally managed to see who it was, he stopped in his tracks; it was Kagome. She was standing by the front door, her hands clasped behind her back as she awkwardly stared around at the party surrounding her. He could not believe it, she was actually here. After he had allowed himself to speak his mind, he never thought she would actually show up - even less ask for him.

"Hey."

The sound of his deep voice brought her back to reality and she found herself turning her head so that she could look at him. "Hey." She felt like a complete idiot. Guilt was what had gotten her to the front step of his fraternity house and she wondered if it were enough to keep her there. Actually - it was not guilt. She wanted to prove him wrong. He was the first person to  _walk away_ , after trying to give her a wake up call, and some part of her wanted to show that she was not what they thought she was.

She looked absolutely amazing in her tight jeans and simple white snug t-shirt. It was nothing fancy and yet he found his blood pumping. Perhaps it was the sight of her bared neck that was offered to him since her long dark locks were pulled in a high ponytail. "Wanna come in?" he teased as she had yet to detach herself from the doorway. There were many more teasing sentences that he could throw her way but he held himself back.

"Sure."

A part of her was glad that he was not asking her the big why question. It was hardly her fault that his words had stuck with her. As he turned around, leading the ay for her to follow him, she could not help but notice that class Kouga and out of class Kouga were very similar; jeans and simple t-shirt. Then again, he was a simple guy. She shyly followed him into the crowd, her body rubbing on perfect strangers has she tried to make a way for herself. Kouga was much taller and intimidating than she was and he was not experimenting the same strugles as she was. Once she saw him come to a stop, she found relief washing over her.

"Wanna play?"

"Play what?"

"Beer pong," he replied with a grin. She did not strike him as the type of girl who had a history of playing beerpong.

"I suck at aiming." Lord knew she tried -her mother had even signed her up for archery class as a child, but nothing had done the trick.

"I'll help ya."

He heard her timid footsteps as she walked behind him. As he had expected they continued to play without him. It was good; it allowed him to start a fresh new game with Kagome.

"I call dibs."

Ginta was ready to protest and proclaim that Kouga had been hogging the game for way too long when he stopped himself once he caught sight of Kagome. He was quick to elbow Hakkaku in the ribs so that he could also witness the scene.

"Sure go ahead."

"Good to see you Kagome, what's your poison?"

"My what?"

"What he means is, what alcohol do you want in your cups?"

Right it was a game that involved drinking alcohol. She had forgotten about that. She was not an avid drinker, meaning that she never had a chance to develop a taste for any kind of alcohol really.

Kouga was quick to notice the biting of her bottom lip and her fidgeting. "Give her a mix of vodka orange." He turned his head to look at Kagome. "It tastes like juice. Plus I'm a pro. I'll make sure you don't have to drink too much."

"Thanks."

"Vodka orange for the lady, and you Kouga?"

"Whiskey." Youkais often drank beers during social events but it did not have an effect on them. Hard liquor on the other hand was a completely different story.

As the guys set up the boards for them, he looked at Kagome. "Any ideas on how to play?"

"Get the ball in the cup?"

He laughed at out loud. "That's the gist of it."

"I'm not gonna be very good at it." Why had she agreed so easily to do this?

"I am," he said with a wink.

The game began slowly, Kouga making his shots and Kagome missing hers. That lead to her drinking two of her vodka oranges and him one of his shots of whiskey. Kouga was having fun but he could tell that Kagome was getting aggravated with herself about the shots she was missing.

"You're placed all wrong."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Here, let me show you."

Without giving her a chance to say anything, he closed the distance between their bodies. His hands found their way to her hips and as a bright blush faded into her cheeks, he used his grip to tilt her body at the right angle. "Here we go," he commented before moving his hands upwards. His palms glided across her arms, strong fingers wrapping themselves around her small wrists. She held her breath as his head was suddenly resting against hers and at that point the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating as it echoed loudly in her ears.  _He was close_. Last time he had been this close to her he had been trapping her against his body and the nearest wall.  _With his lips on her_. But now was not the time to be thinking about that.

"K-Kouga."

"It's a flick of the wrist," he said, ignoring the tremble in her voice. He was also holding back a growl as her small body felt warm against his. And that scent - it was enticing, inviting him, but he knew she was not aware of the signals she was throwing his way.

Kagome was trying to listen but her mouth felt like sandpaper as she tried to stare ahead instead of looking into that pair of baby blue eyes that pierced her soul. "Flick of the wrist," she finally managed to repeat.

He nodded. "That's it."

Kagome took a deep breath while he held her body in place. She tried her best to focus on one of the three cups in front of her but, she had no expectations. She threw her pingpong ball which against all odds, made it into one of the cups. Her eyes grew wide in surprise and a feeling of shock overtook her body. "I did it!"

"You did it!"

"Oh my god, I actually did it." It was not much. It was a silly pingpong ball and it should not represent much to her. But it did.

Before she could stop herself, she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck out of excitement. He was too stunned for no more than a second before he returned the gesture, keeping her safe with the comfort of his arms. It did take Kagome more than a moment to realize what she had done but once she did, even her red cheeks could not spare her from her embarrassment. She gently pulled herself away from him and he let her. Shame was glueing to her scent like a second skin.

"Thanks," she said as she turned to face away from him.

"Anytime."

Afterwards, they finished the game -winning it- and Kagome did manage to get rid of some of her shame. The rest of the evening passed by as they played other games, and sometimes, he was taken away by a few friends, leaving her to cheat with Ginta and Hakkaku. As minutes turned into hours, she quickly realized that it was closing in on 11:30pm. She was supposed to get up very early to catch the train home to the shrine. She had promised her family a visit and she did not want to disappoint them. Plus, it was not like she ever invented on staying until early morning.

"Kouga," she said, interrupting his conversation.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm actually going to cab home." It was getting late and she was not familiar enough with the way to walk home.

"Already?"

"I have something - early tomorrow."

"I can take you home."

"It's fine. Stay here. Have fun. It's no big deal, I'll get home just fine."

"Kagome…"

" _Kouga_ , I'm a big girl."

He grinned. "I ain't gonna argue with that."

She joined into his laughter. "Then you agree I can get home by myself."

"It goes against my gentleman code."

"I think you can survive it."

"How could I ever live separated from you?"

"You've managed so far, I think you could make it," she said as she patted his shoulder.

"Drop me a line at least, so I know you made it."

"Yes  _dad_."

He tilted his head to the side, unable to hide the grin forming on his lips.  _Dad_?

"Don't you dare," she ordered as she waved a finger at him. It was like she did these things on purpose.

He held up his hands innocently. "Wouldn't dream of it."

She shook her head, amused before waving goodbye at him. "Good night Kouga."

"G'night Kagome."

He watched her walk away with a smile on his face. He did not know why her idiotic ex could not see what a jewel she was but - Kouga would not make that mistake. He could see how amazing and precious she was. She did not deserve to have her heartbroken; she deserved devotion.

He would show her that he was worth a shot.

-C-


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here were prompts for the 4th day: Past/Future. Mostly stuck to the past! Flashbacks! You know the drill!

_"Kagome, hurry up."_

_"Coming!"_

_She grabbed her bag from the edge of her chair, before nearly tumbling down the stairs to make it to Inuyasha. He had been waiting for her for a long time now since she had not noticed her alarm had been ringing in the background. To be fair, she had stayed up quite late to be able to study. She wanted to get into the same university as Inuyasha - but it was not as easy for her. He came from a family that had a lot of money - they could pay his way in. She on the other hand, had to make sure she got good grades. Since finals were just around the corner, she made a point to study more than ever so that she could get even better scores. Inuyasha did not have the same work ethic as her. Sometimes, he planned things that disrupted her studying but she was not about to complain about it. He was trying to surprise her after all._

_She tumbled down and offered him a smile when she reached the end of the stairs. "Sorry, I didn't hear the alarm."_

_"Keh, I plan something, and you ain't even ready."_

_"Inuyasha - I said I was sorry."_

_"Come on."_

_He had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he walked ahead of her. His long silver hair swung with each step he took, and she could not shake off the feeling that he was hiding something from her. He was not like usual. If she ever said anything, it usually triggered one of their sparkly fights and then they moved on. Now, he did not even say anything, he simply went away._

_Something was up._

"Hey, yo, Ginta."

Ginta frowned, the voice feeling familiar to him. He turned around, hoping to recognize the owner of the strange voice and found himself staring at a mass of silver hair with golden eyes. Sesshomaru? No, no Inuyasha? Was it? "What' up?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Inuyasha did not know Ginta per say but they had crossed paths a few times. Honestly, he was his only option if he wanted to figure out ponytail man"s name. He had not gotten a good enough look at him to figure out his identity. What he did know what that the asshole was purposefully taunting him.

"Sure."

"Who's that guy with the long ponytail? I've seen you hang out with him before."

Ginta was pretty sure he was referring to Kouga, but why not drag it on to find out as much as he could? "I know a lot of guys with ponytails. Human? Youkai?"

"Youkai," he added, annoyed. "Brown hair."

"Blue eyes?"

"Yes."

"Oh that's Kouga." He knew it. Although that did confirm his earliest suspicion about the whole thing. Why did he want to have this kind of information? "Why?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "No reason." Kouga, he had heard that name before. Why did he know that name?

"Anything I can help with?"

"Nah?"

"Are you sure?"

"I said butt out." These were his last words before he turned around and began to walk away. Kouga huh?

Ginta's eyes narrowed; he did not like this.

"Hey knucklehead."

That he knew who that was: Kouga. Almost immediately he felt a hand messing up his hair. "Why the fuck do you have that face for?"

"Hey Kouga, do you know a guy named Inuyasha?"

"Inutrasha?"

"No, Inuyasha," he corrected.

"Hm, no, why?"

"He was asking about you."

"What did he look like?" Who the hell would even be asking about him? Also  _who_  would not know him?

"Silver hair, golden eyes."

"Hanyou?"

"How did you know?"

It was that asshole from the field - her ex boyfriend. Why the fuck was he even asking about him? Perhaps his little trick from the other day had worked better than expected. The asshole was actually jealous. Kouga was not sure if it were a good thing; if he were jealous, it meant that his feelings for her were still lingering.

"He's Kagome's ex."

"Oh." Then he grinned. "So, if he's looking into it… does he have a reason to be jealous that we don't know about?" They had seem pretty closed during the party, it would not surprise him if a few secret moments happened between them.

"No, nothing happened."

"Ginta?"

"Yeah?"

"Find out what you can about this guy."

"On it."

Although Ginta would do his best to assist him, he was worried. Kouga's thing in the past was running. His whole life was devoted to it and he had lost it over a stupid incident. He did not want him to direct his energy into the wrong thing. Not only that but he did not need to push his luck by getting into another fight - even if Inuyasha was only an hanyou. Permanent damage could easily be done as they had learned at a great cost.

_"Kouga."_

_He laid on the ground, his legs against his chest, mimicking the fetal position. There were no sounds coming from him, no tears in his eyes and yet he remained immobile. How was this possible? Exept from the hit at the beginning, Naraku had not managed to touch him. Kouga had been beating the crap out of him when he had suddenly fallen backwards, his whole body cripsed with pain. That had been the last time he had moved._

_"Kouga!"_

_But nothing happened._

-C-

_"Inuyasha - you know today is the last day to sign up for the apartment. School starts tomorrow. We're already late enough as it is."_

_She had been bugging him about it all summer. She had also let him get away with it all summer but no more. She did not want to be last minute, and she could not even believe that there were still apartments left for them to get. At least she got a little ahead and already packed all of their stuff. The only step left was for them to show up to school today and sign the lease. After that, starting tomorrow they would be college student. It had taken a lot for her to convince her mother that it was best for her to live near school and she had worked her ass off all summer to make sure she had enough money. If she was going through with this plan, then she would make sure that it did not cost her mother a dime. Inuyasha had also worked, but he had not put as much money aside as she had. Of course, Inuyasha was not - quite where she was in life. She did not want to pressure him and so, she knew he would get there on his own at his own pace._

_"Kagome, not now." She kept talking about this damn apartment. He wanted her to stop, he wanted her to leave it be so that he could focus on the struggle at hand. An apartment was a lot of money. His parents had money, meaning it was no big deal but - it represented something much bigger. They were barely out of high school, they had not done anything yet. He knew where this was leading; even his dad kept telling him. Kagome is a good girl, keep her around. Living together in college meant at some point he would be expected to propose and then - his whole life would be settled down. The thought of it was enough to bring panic into his heart. What if there was more to it? What if he wanted to try something, do something with his life? He had always wanted to live in a fraternity, experience the freedom of life away from his parents. Kagome did not do that type of life style, and that was fine, he liked her this way but…_

_"Inuyasha - we can't keep postponing it. We're running out of time."_

_"Kagome, stop."_

_"Inuyasha -"_

_"We should break up."_

_They - the - huh? "What?"_

_She tried to replay his words in her head, knowing that she had heard wrong. There was no way Inuyasha had broken up with her. He could not have. They were - they had always been together, and they were always going to be together. They were supposed to move in together and —_

_"Look, Kagome. I'm sorry alright." He could not even look at her, he could not even form thoughts in his head. "I - I can't do this okay. Not now. This is college and - look you won't want this either okay? It's college. We should - we should be living it, experiencing it. And I can't be feeling guilty all the time."_

_"What are you talking about?" Bile was rising in her throat, her entire body was shaking as she was unable to process the words coming out of his mouth. Inuyasha would never do this to her- especially not on the day before they started college. He would not right?_

_"I'm sorry okay. Just - it's for the best."_

Kagome's fingers were trembling as they hovered over her mousepad. Her throat was clamming up, her eyes shining with tears as she stared at what used to be her happy face. She had been looking for a file for an assignment when she landed on a photo of Inuyasha and her. She should have closed it right away, even delete it, but she had done neither. How could she? She had managed to nearly get rid of all of them, but that was because she did not open them. Now it was different. She was staring at two people that she did not even recognize anymore. Inuyasha had his arm wrapped around her while he stared at her with eyes shining with what she thought was love. Even she was smiling on the picture. Of course she was smiling, she did not know any better back then.

Ding _._

Immediately her eyes wandered to the corner of the screen where she saw she had an IM message from Kouga.  _Any distraction was a good distraction right_? She opened it, her heart heavy with the sorrow of the past.  _Canceling tutoring tonight. Sorry._

Cancelling? That did not sound like Kouga. She should simply reply okay and move on right? But why was he cancelling?  _Everything okay_?

_Yup. Can't make it to library is all._

_Do you wanna meet somewhere else?_

_It's fine, sorry again._

That did not feel like Kouga - it did not even sound like him. Then again, did she really know him? What did they share? A few tutoring session? Whatever his life was, it did not concern her. And if he was cancelling their tutoring session, well that gave her more time to focus on her own studies. What was the harm in that? There was none. She should - yes, she should leave it be. This was fine. It was none of her concern what he did with his life.

But?

But.

Kagome unconsciously began to chew her bottom lip as she let her cursor hover over the internet icon. She clicked it and quickly typed the school's directory. Luckily for her, Ginta's name was fairly uncommon and she was able to locate his email address. It was useless - he probably would not check it. But….  _Hey Ginta, it's Kagome. Do you know where Kouga is?_ That was sufficient right? Or did that make her sound like a weird stalker. Maybe…. Maybe she could do a little bend of the truth?  _He's not our tutoring spot._ It was not a lie. There was no way he was heading for the library. She was simply leaving the context out right?  _Ugh_. Why did she care so much? And send.

She leaned back into her pillow, a heavy sigh rumbling her chest. This was silly - she needed to get back to her own stuff.

 _Ding_.

What?

_Really? That's weird, he was at the fraternity when we left. Maybe he's just running late. Here's his number if you need to reach him: 555-333-4444._

At the fraternity? Wait. By himself? Why would the other guys be gone? Unless -  _they had practice_. They were on the running team, she had seen them when Kouga had caught her at the running track. But Kouga… Kouga was not part of it anymore. She drummed her fingers alongside the keys of her keyboards.  _Ugh_ was she really doing this?

She was.

-C-

Who the heck was ringing the doorbell? There was nothing planned and anyone who lived her simply walked in without bothering to alert their presence to anyone. Kouga sighed, annoyed, as he wrapped a dark blue towel around his waist. His long black hair were clinging to back, droplets dripping from it and unto the floor, as he stepped out of the shower. He did not bother to clean himself up more than that as she unjammed the door open, making hi way downstairs. He had taken a shower to help cool down his rage; the team had won the first race of the session, and they were out to celebrate. Obviously, they had invited him.  _Obviously_ , he had refused the invitation. He was happy for them, and he was glad the team was doing good despite the mistake he made in the past, but he was not up to celebrating.

And now? Now his  _relaxation_ was being interrupted.

The steam of the shower alongside with his pumping heart prevented him from using his nose in time to detect who was behind the door. He flung it open, water dripping down his face as he did so.

That display for anger had Kagome slightly regretted her decision. It had not been a good idea to come completely uninvited when he had clearly canceled their tutoring session. "Hm - I, I probably should go."

 _Fuck_. "Kagome?"

"Sorry - I just - I thought maybe, we could study here… I. It was a bad idea." She found herself clutching her books, shame filling her. Why did she even do this? Why did she even care that the session was cancelled? And -

 _Oh_. As her glance traveled downwards to avoid looking at his face, she suddenly found herself looking at a very,  _very_  bare chest glistening with water. And abs. Many abs. And a towel. Oh because all he was wearing - was a towel. He was naked and wet and  _she was ogling him like a moron_. "I- I, I-'ll go."  _Smooth_.

At first, he had been stupefied, then mad at himself and now - now he was finding it hard not to smirk. The scent in the air was very clear; she liked what she saw. For a moment, he forgot his frustration, he forgot the impeding doom in his chest.  _She was checking him out_. Many lines were burning his lips and he was barely holding himself back from saying one of them. Well - "You can stay for the show," he said before winking at her.

 _Oh my god he saw her_. And  _slap_. Slapping his wet chest was the only thing she could think to do. " _You jerk_."

"I'm kidding." That actually stung a little.

"I was - concerned."

He arched an eyebrow. "Worried about me?"

"Well, I - I wanted to uphold my end of the deal. Can't let you flake on me." Yes, she was doing it solely for that, and nothing else.

Nice recovery, he had to admit. "Look, I just- had some things to do here." But now she was here, and considering the look she had given his body, he was not a 100% sure he wanted to let her go back home. "But I guess I could study."

There was not the same enthusiasm in his voice as usual. "Are you saying yes because I'm here?"

Wow, she called it as she saw it. "No, I'm saying yes because I should study." He did not have it in him to turn her around. It was one thing to cancel her over an instant messaging, but it was a whole other one to do it in her face. What was the harm? At least the house would not feel as empty as earlier.

"Come on in," he finally said as he moved out of the way.

Kagome nodded and walked in, doing her best to keep some space between their bodies - he was  _naked_  after all. And wet, how could she forget that he was wet?

"Wanna get started?"

Alright, perhaps they were not both as aware of the situation as she had originally thought. "Sure, as soon as you put some clothes on."

 _Right_ , he was naked. "I don't know, it's pretty comfy," he said with a smirk. "You should try it."

She could hear the laughter in his voice, and she knew he was teasing her. She narrowed her eyes jokingly. "I think you're naked enough for the both of us."

"You win." He said as he brought a hand to his towel, holding it in place.

That little gesture caused her to look down at his stomach. She noticed a detail she had not perceived earlier; there was a trail of dark hair starting right beneath his navel that led all the way… well, she could not say where it stopped since it disappeared beneath his towel but - she could imagine.  _And imagining was wrong_. She was gawking again!

"Are you sure you want me to get dressed?"

 _OH MY GOD, she was going to DIE!_  Her cheeks were tainted red - as there was no arguing she could possibly form at this moment - and she was forced to turn her head away. "I'll - I'll be in the kitchen."

Kouga had a smirk on his face as he watched her hop away from sight. He had not thought about using the whole naked thing - but it might have worked. Still, it was the friendly path that had gotten him this far and he would stick to it - but he did like it. It did struck the ego that she had wounded a few times. After all, she had enjoyed the kiss as much as he did but she had been reticent with him ever since.

"I'll be a minute," he said to deaf ears. He did not expect her to answer.

Meanwhile Kagome was in the kitchen, hoping that she would have enough time to hide away her shame.  _Why_  was she staring at him? This was the same guy she had slapped because he had been a little too forward. The kiss had been a fluke, nothing more.  _Girl_ get yourself together. She did not need anyone new in her life, and she was not about to be interested in anyone - especially not someone who was just going to zip away to the next girl as soon as he reached his goal. Although she was able to make the distinction between Kouga and Inuyasha, it did not change the fact that she saw them as the same thing.  _Two people_  enjoying their college life and she refused to be caught in the middle again. One heartbreak was enough.

_"Kagome?"_

_Sango had been putting her stuff away, finally unpacking, when she had heard the faint knock on her door. The last thing she had expected was to find Kagome sniffling on her doorstep. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks stained with tears as her whole body trembled with each shake of her shoulders. This was not good._

_"What happened?"_

_"C-can I stay here?" School was starting tomorrow, she had nowhere to go and - everything was a mess. She could not even think or - or figure out something else. Her whole life laid bare in front of her, shattered in pieces and she did not even know how to put it back together. She could not._

_"Do you need me to call Inuyasha?" Obviously, she did not mind if her best friend stayed with her, but that did nothing to explain what happened to her._

_"He broke up with me."_

_"He did what?"_

_And that broke Kagome completely. Now that she had shared the news out loud with somebody, it felt real - it was real. There was no taking it back, there was no going back. Inuyasha and her were no longer together. He had officially tossed her aside like yesterday's news. And he had waited until the last minute to do it too. Who did that?_

She was in no hurry to relieve that again. Apparently there were certain experiences that college boys wanted to live and she refused to wait on the side line while it happened. Inuyasha wanted his own life fine, but she would not let someone else do it to her. It did not matter how nice Kouga's abs were; she was not even going anywhere near that. She was his tutor and he helped her out - it would not go any further than that.

-C-

_"So, doc, when is he good to go again?"_

_Kouga was not even looking at the doctor; instead, he was staring out the window. There was nothing that doctor could tell him that he did not know already. His legs felt heavy, broken. Sometimes, he moved them and yet he could not feel them. Something was seriously wrong. How the fuck did that spider manage to get the upper hand on him like that? Kouga's speed was legendary. Sure, there might be strong youkais out there who were able to throw a stronger punch than him, but they had yet to actually manage to catch him. Legends of his speed were true and he lived up to the expectations. Sure, Naraku had landed a punch back at the beginning of the fight, but that was only because the spider played dirty. After that, Kouga had handed him his own ass._

_"I'm afraid it's not that simple."_

_"What do ya mean? A few hours, a few days, and he'll be good to go right?"_

_Hakkaku was trying to not remember how bad his legs had looked. Instead of tan flesh, they had appeared a deep purple color, leaving them all concerned. Eventually, some of the color had faded, but they appeared stiff and liveless. Once he had begun moving them, they had felt less concerned but - the doctor's expression was not making them feel any better._

_"His muscles are damaged."_

_"Okay, but they'll fix themselves." What was wrong with this doctor? Kouga was not human - he did not need months of healing._

_"They should."_

_"They should?"_

_"What are you saying?"_

_"He's saying my legs aren't right." Although he had chosen to intervene - mostly to make this agony cease - he was not looking at them. He did not want to see pity in their eyes, he did not want their sympathy._

_"Kouga - you'll heal."_

_"It should," the doctor repeated. "But it will be a lengthy process."_

_"Can he run?"_

_"He's on the track team?"_

_"I do feel as though he'll have to wait a semester or two before he's up and running."_

_"A semester or two?" Ginta exclaimed with eyes wide open. How could have Naraku done that to him? He was scum of the earth!_

_"But he'll recover?"_

_"Eventually."_

_Hakkaku sighed before turning around to look at his friend. "Look, Kouga, it's no big deal. School won't start for another month. I'm sure by then you'll be up and ready."_

_"Yeah, that doc doesn't know what he's talking about."_

_But their words went right through him. Something was not right. He could feel it shaking him to his core._

"What's wrong Ginta?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, it just doesn't feel right without Kouga."

"Yeah, but you saw how he lost it when we invited him!"

"True."

"I mean, he even ditched Kagome, that's saying a lot."

"What do you mean he ditched her?"

He popped his lips. "She emailed me."

"Wait - when did this happen?"

"A little before we got to the bar."

"And what did tell her?"

"Where he was."

"Do you think she went there?"

"I'm hoping she did."

Meanwhile, back at the fraternity house, Kouga's head felt like it was about to explode. If she explained one more chapter to him, he was going to lose his shit. When did he become the guy who studied late on a friday night? Usually, he used them to celebrate his victories. That was not happening anymore.

"I'm starving."

"What?" She blinked. Did he interrupt her mid-speech to let her know he was hungry?"

"I'm starving, are you hungry?"

Kagome was about to decline his proposition when suddenly, her stomach betrayed her by loudly growling. The sound echoed through the empty kitchen and caused Kouga to erupt in a fit of laughters. "I'll take that as a yes then." The only problem was that they did not have much food at the frat house. Most of them constantly ended up eating out since food often went wasted, or some people abused other people's food. The less they kept, the less problems there were and that was how he liked it. "Pizza?"

"Hm, sure." After all, her stomach had already betrayed her - what was the point in pretending? She actually could not remember the last time she had pizza. Usually, she was by herself. Sango was there sometimes, but most of her evenings were spent with her boyfriend. They did invite her to join them, but she did not want to intrude. She knew what the couple life was and she did not want to ruin it for them.

"Pizza coming!"

Apparently pizza was very popular on friday night since after forty-five minutes, there was still no one ringing the doorbell. It did give them a chance to further their studying but - it did nothing for their starving stomaches. Once it arrived, everything stopped and Kouga pulled out  _actually_  real plates for his guest.

"Want anything to drink?"

"Hm…"

"I got — beer and, more beer - and some water."

She chuckled. "I think I'll go with water."

"Even on a friday?"

"Even on a friday. I'm not a big fan of beer."

Could not blame her for that. It was not for everyone. He took out a beer for himself and then, poured her a glass of water.

"Thank you."

"Pleasure."

Once they began eating in silence, Kagome could not help but feel a bit awkward. Although he had let her in and she had gone against what he wished - no, no. She should drop it. It did not concern her. She should not be putting herself in a situation like this. After all, she did not want anyone to pry into her business. Actually, she refused to talk to strangers about her relationship - but. But it was different. She had the same attitude with Kouga from the very beginning. He, however, had acted differently. For a moment, his cockiness was gone, the confidence had dissipated and it caused an unsettling feeling to grow inside of her.

"So where's everyone?"

"Oh, out." Out, celebrating their victory. Out being a team together - while he was here.

"And  _Kouga_  did not want to go out?"

He chuckled. "Oh, Kouga is a party animal now?"

"We'll he does talk about himself in the third person."

"You got me." And he had canceled on her? He was glad she was too stubborn to listen. It was another thing he liked about her.

There. It was light, he had laughed - she should leave it at that. There should not be more to it than this. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great."

"Kouga - I."

"Kagome, I'm fine."

"I mean, I know you can't run right now."

"Yeah, right now."

Even he did not believe it. How was he supposed to make her believe it? Also  _why_  was she bringing it up? Ever since their exploding first meeting, she had kept a distance between them, He did not expect her to be the one to bring up the running. He did figure she might have looked it up, especially before meeting him up one on one - but still.

"So, I'm not on the team, it's no big deal," he said as he did his best to flash her a smirk.

But she did not believe it. "Of course not, now you get to study."

He chuckled. "That's the dream."

"I'm sure you'll be up and  _running_  in no time."

"That's what they say." He put his pizza down. "You wanna know?"

"No - I mean, it's your personal life, it has nothing to do with me." Great, now she felt like a jerk. Everything had been fine, he had been having a good time, and now she was dragging him back down. Why did she even bring up the running? There was just something in his eyes, a layer of pain beneath the blue orbs, one that shook her to her core.

"I'll share my sappy past if you share yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Inuyasha."

 _How did he know his name_? Why did he know his name? For a second, she felt her heartbeat picking up and her palms became moist. No, she did not want to talk about him. "There's not much to say. He moved on. He thought there was better our there, and he went and found better. There's no tragedy, there's no big moment - it's a regular break up." She was the one who could not seem to get over it. Why could she not forget him and move on with her life as though he had never existed?

Fuck. He did not know why he brought up that jerk's name. "I'm an idiot." He tilted his head to the side. "I was an idiot. That's why I'm stuck here. I thought I was better than I was, I thought I was stronger than I am. I let my cockiness get the best of me, and it fucked me up."

"I was an idiot too." If she had been smarter, she would have seen it coming. If she had been smarter, she would have picked up on the signals and she would have been better prepared. Instead, she was taken for a fool and she let her life unravel. She knew a thing or two about assuming things and just like him, it did not work out well for her.

He picked up his beer from the table and lifted it in the air. "To being idiots."

She laughed as she picked up her glass of water. "To being idiots."

As they clanged their drinks together, she could not help the smile that remained upon her lips. He did not want to talk about what was, what could have been and what would be. She did not want to either. It was why it made it so hard to be with her friends, to try to live the life she thought she would have. She had avoided it all because she did not want to be reminded of the ghost of her relationship with Inuyasha. Perhaps she did not have to be in that situation.

Maybe she had been wrong before.

Maybe socializing was not the worst thing in the world.

-C-


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here were prompts for the 5th day: Tender/Tough. College!AU. A little bit of tough, mostly tender. But I used all definitions of tender. (showing gentleness and concern or sympathy, sensitive to pain, requiring tact or careful handling). ALSO. GUISE. IF YOU GUISE DONT FREAKING DIE OF LAUGHTER from the TEXTS they share. I might quit writing *I KID I KID*
> 
> Fyi. Didn't have time to re-read (Barely have time to write them on time, so if theres mistakes, or jumbling, sorry

 

 

"Kagome?"

Her heart stopped, her hand froze in place and a tremble traveled through her body. She had not heard that voice in a long time, and yet, right now, it felt like yesterday. It was him. She knew it was him without even turning around. Maybe if she ignored him, pretended that she could not hear him, maybe he would go away. Yes - she needed him to go away. She swallowed hard, and then, continued searching for her book in the midst of her yellow locker. She did not turn, she did not breathe.  _She needed this to be an hallucination_. Since the day he broke her heart, he had not come to her. Not a single word, not a message - nothing. She was not doing this. Not a year later. It was too late to come talk to her now.

"Kagome," he repeated, this time much softer.

His nose told him all he needed to know about this situation. He did not need to see her face to imagine what it looked like right now. But he had to do this. When he left her, it was because he did not want either of their lives to be ruined by a decision they made too quickly. He had not done it to make it suffer - it had been the right thing to do. It was also the reason for his presence by her side. He had been able to find out a little about that  _Kouga_  guy that was hanging around her and he did not like it one bit. She could do what she wanted with her life and she was a free woman but -  _but_  he did not want her to get played like that by a frat guy like him.

"Please, I need to talk to you."

And those were the words that made her snap. Before she knew it, she had slammed her book down on the floor. She turned around, fire burning in her eyes as she looked at him. "You  _need_ to talk to me? You  _need_ to talk to me." That guy had some nerves. "I  _needed_  an explanation. I  _needed_  to not be dumped out of the blue on the eve of college. I needed a lot of things Inuyasha." Despite her rage flowing through her blood and her shaking fists, there were tears pooling in her eyes. "I didn't get any of them.  _So_  where do you get off saying you  _need_  something. You're about a year to late for me to give a crap."

She used to imagine their reunion, she used to dream of the day he would realize he was a moron. She would not have taken him back right away - she would have made him work for it. But - but now it was too late. He might still hold part of her heart, she might still feel for him but she refused to be his welcome mat all over again. He had abused her kindness enough and he had wasted enough of her time. "Go talk to someone who cares." She slammed her locker shut and then bent down to pick up her book from the floor. "And that isn't me."

"Oi, I ain't here for me. I'm here for you!" He was letting his temper slip him but what else could he do?

This was  _unbelievable!_  He had to be joking! There were cameras somewhere, waiting to surprise her because this could not possibly be real. It could not be. " _For me_?"

"Yeah, you're being an idiot."

"Excuse me?"

"Just  _stay away_ from that  _guy_."

She frowned. "What guy?"

"Kouga!" he shouted.

He - he… no. He had not talked to her in over a year and now he was talking to her because he had seen her with another guy? He was actually throwing a hissy jealousy fit at her? Unbelievable. "You're something else, you know that."

"Ugh, you don't get it. Don't be an idiot Kagome."

"An idiot? An idiot is what I was when I was dating you." She felt one of tears slid down her cheek. "Why don't you go back to your girl and leave me alone."

"Kagome."

"I said  _enough_."

As she finally let out a loud breathe, she realized that the hallway was quiet. It was quiet because everyone had stopped their activities to stare at them and watch the scene unfold. This was not the kind of situation she needed in her life. She was done. She threw one last glance his way, hoping he would see all the pain and misery he had left behind, and she walked away. She could hear Inuyasha shouting her name in the background, but she ignored it. She was not going to willingly walk back into that. Her heart was aching but her head knew it was the best thing to do. It would never work. They were not good together and they were too different to make it work. That encounter proved it. Except, it did very little to stop the shake of her body or the feeling of nausea squeezing at her guts. She was going to do something she had never done before;  _ditch class_.

She thought she was tougher than this, but she was not.

-C-

"Hey Kouga, we're getting a pitcher, do you want split it with us?"

He shook his head. "I got a class."

"Like that ever stopped you before."

"Hey now, you know he's a  _model_  student now. He doesn't want to disappoint his girl -  _I mean his tutor_."

Kouga's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you two idiots need alcohol? Feels to me like you're stupid enough already."

"Where's the love?"

" _Up your_  -" But Kouga did not have time to finish his line. He was interrupted by the sound of his own voice vibrating and beeping. He flipped it on the table, seeing that he had a new text message. Except it was not from a number he knew. He arched an eyebrow before opening it.  _Are you busy_? Maybe it was a wrong number. Or maybe one of his friends changed number? He  _could_  answer.  _Who's this?_ And sent. He was about to look away when the answer came in already.  _Kagome_. His eyes widened; Kagome? When had he ever given Kagome his phone number? He did not ind that she had it, but he simply did not remember giving it to her. Was it really her or were one of the bozos playing a prank on him?

"Kouga, what's wrong?"

"Your joke is not funny."

"What joke?" Ginta asked as he put the pitcher down on the table.

"Pretending to be Kagome."

"What are you talking about?"

Kouga lifted his phone from the table and showed them the message.

"That's not us."

"How does she have my number then?"

"Oh, I gave it to her."

"What?"

"Yeah, she said you hadn't shown up to your tutoring lesson and she was worried about you. Told her you were at the frat, and gave her your number."

 _Wait_  - that was how Kagome found out where she was? It was the whole reason why she had shown up on his doorstep? And now she was texting him? "So it's really her."

Hakkaku grinned. "It's really her."

 _Well then_. Who was he to make her wait?  _Nope, I'm free. What's up?_ It was almost hard to contain his smirk; for someone who kept turning him down and rejecting his flirting -  _she kept coming back_. He was getting through to her it seemed.  _Lunch? At the little deli by campus?_ Wait. Was she asking him out? This was starting to not add up.  _On my way._

 _"Boys,_  I gotta go."

"Kagome calling?"

"None of ya business." He picked up a fries from Ginta's plate before disappearing from sight.

 _Kagome was waiting for him_.

-C-

_She was a moron_.

Kagome was nervously tapping the heel of her foot against the ceramic floor. Why had she texted him? She could have talked to Sango. No, she could not have talked to Sango. She would have known. One look at her and Sango would have known this was about Inuyasha. It was the same reason why she could not go to Miroku. It did not leave her with many options. She could have stayed alone but - but she did not want to be alone with her thoughts at this moment. She needed a distraction, she needed someone who did not have the whole story. Kouga had accepted the little she had to say about it, and she had a feeling he would not press the issue further.

When did he become her only resource?

This was the guy she kissed.

The guy she slapped.

He was… her friend? When did he become her friend? No, she was his tutor and -  _and she had texted him and he was coming_.

The sound of a bell ringing pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned her head towards the door. As expected, she saw Kouga walk in, his eyes searching for her. She made the task a little easier for him by raising her hand and waving at him. Once his eyes landed on her, he smiled brightly. As soon as he got close to her, his nose picked up the scent of sadness; it clung to her like a second skin. She was sad? She was trying to hide it behind a smile but, scents did not lie. Was that why she had called him? If so… why him? He knew she had friends… at least people she was close to… much closer than they were. Although he would be lying if he said he did not feel pride in the fact that she had reached out to  _him_  out of all her options. She had chosen him.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Great, now it was awkward - she had  _made_  it awkward. Why did she even call him? So they could sit…and? He would make a cocky comment… or flirt with her… and that was it. It was not bad, he was not bad. His attitude and flirting were harmless, and despite the few times that he had made some advances on her, they had been — comments. Nothing more. He had not pressured her or forced her into anything. Sango had tried for the last year to get her to come out of her shell without any success whatsoever. But… he seemed to have done it. And now, she was reaching out to this stranger… and she could not explain it.

There was something about her scent that was off. Although it almost appeared to be a harmless lunch, but it felt like there was more to it. Still, he said nothing as he sat down across from her.

"Sorry, hm, Ginta gave me your number."

"Hey I woulda given you my number myself if I hadn't been scared to get slapped," he said with a chuckle.

"It was well deserved."

"Really? I don't think ya can blame me. I suffer from PTSD."

"From?"

"From this strange girl who assaulted me at a party."

Now that she had a chance to think about it, she felt like a complete moron. If a guy had grabbed her and kissed her like she had done to him… her reaction would have been less than pleasant. "Sorry about that."

"About what?" he inquired with a frown.

"Using you without your permission." She had given him a lot of crap about his forwardness but he had been at the origin of it all… She had almost led him on really.

"You're sorry… about kissing me?" Surely she had to be kidding. She had to know that it had not bothered him  _at all_.

"Yeah…"

"I asked for seconds for a reason," he said with a wink.

She blushed hotly and found herself unable to meet his eyes. How was he able to say such things with ease?

"Hi, my name is Iza, what can I get you today?" She was a perky waitress with a smile that looked like it was going to split her cheeks open.

"I'll have the special," Kouga quickly answered.

"Perfect, and you miss?"

She had never actually eaten here before. She was not quite sure how she even ended up here in the first place. "I'll have the same thing." Hopefully they had similar tastes.

"Coming right up."

As quickly as she had come, she disappeared.

"So you're inviting right?"

She was the one who dragged him out of his life. "Sure."

As if he would let her pay. But no sense in saying it out loud and facing her stubbornness. "So, have I finally swooned you?" Once he saw her raised eyebrow he realized that she would need a more in depth explanation. "You invited me to lunch," he pointed out with his trademark smirk.

"As friends."

"Woo, we're friends now? This might be going a little too fast for me."

"That's all I had to do to get rid of you? Commitment?"

Somehow, her little joke stung a little. She had expressed early on that she saw him as a typical jock. From her humour, he guessed that it was still her current vision of him. "You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that if you wanna get rid of me."

Something about the words he spoke shook her to her core. She had been with Inuyasha a long time and prior to the moment when he broke her heart, they had been good together. However, there was one thing Inuyasha had never done; he was not good with verbally displaying his love or public displays of affection. In that sense, Kouga was much different than him; he held no shame in regards to the words he spoke. Despite the cockiness and the thought attitude, he had quite a tender side.

"There's still time."

"Hey - we have a deal. You tutor me and I make you  _invisible_." Alright, he had slightly twisted his part of the deal but it was only because deep inside he knew that she would want him to suffer a little.

Invisible huh? She found her glance dropping to the table. If only she could have been invisible a little earlier, it would have been great.

"Did something happen?" His voice was no longer laced with joy and instead his tone become more serious. Considering the expression painted over her features, it was difficult to keep ignoring the signs of sadness thrown his way.

She should not tell him, she did not even  _have_  to tell him. "I - ran into him." That was  _one way_  to describe the situation that took place.

He winced.

"At least  _he_  didn't make a scene." She, on the other hand, had embarrassed herself.

"Kagome…"

"I should be fine, it's been a tear. It's called moving on. Yes, I've heard it before." She knew the whole story; he was the one losing out, she was better than this, tougher than this. She was  _Kagome_. Yes, she was tough, yes, she pulled through things. But - the hole he left in her life was different. Inuyasha was her boyfriend, he was her best friend - it was hard to be tough when you lose every safety net you have. No one to talk to, no one to laugh with - it was not the same. He had always been in her life and now she had to learn to live her life without him.

"Actually," he began before letting a pause nestle itself between them. "I was just gonna call him an idiot."

She scoffed. "You don't know him or me. Maybe he was right to do what he did."

"Doubt it."

"I might be the worst girlfriend in the world."

"Kagome, trust me, the only logical explanation to him dumping an amazing girl like you is that he's a complete moron."

She knew he was trying to uplift her mood, but lies would not help her. "Kouga, you don't know me that well and we never dated. You don't know. I'm not the girl you think I am." He had this vision of her and it was not right.

"Can I ask ya something?" Honestly, he should not. He should not be inserting himself in her life. Yet he was doing it.

She should say no. If he was asking for permission, it meant that she would not like the question. But she gave in regardless. "Sure."

"Why do you want to be invisible?"

"What do you mean?"

"He left. He ran away. Why are  _you_  trying to disappear?" She should not be experiencing any kind of shame. "I mean, I've seen ya, you pack quite a slap, you speak your mind… You're tough. Why do you let him do that to you?"

He had a way to be charming with words but he also cut to the chase. His words cut through her and she swallowed hard. "Says the guy who's letting an injury ruin his whole life."

Ouch. "See what I mean?" No, he was not purposefully avoiding the question. "Where's that fire?"

"Have you ever been in love?" She knew he enjoyed flirting, but she had yet to hear about girlfriends. "Did you ever plan out your whole life with someone, only to have it taken from you with no explanation?"

His whole life had been spent on running. He had a few girlfriends, but he would not call it love. "Do you want him back?"

"No." That was an easy question. She could not go back to him. She would never trust him and she would constantly wait for the other shoe to drop. It did not mean she did not miss him however.

He would be lying if he said that he was not pleased by her quick answer. If she did not want him back, then she had to move on from him. "So stop being invisible. He has someone else, he's not hiding."

"I'm not hiding." She popped her lips. "Why does he know you?"

"What?"

"He asked me about you."

He chuckled; that boy was an idiot and he was giving him way too much ammo. "He's been asking around about me. I think he's jealous."

How in the world could they possibly know each other? She had not wanted to think that he was jealous but - she had to admit, as guilty as she felt, it was good to know he was not completely happy in his new life.

"You know, I don't mind changing our deal."

"What?"

"He's jealous. Use it."

She was not this kind of person. She did not manipulate other people's feelings for her benefit. "I'm not gonna do that." It wouldn't be right.

"I haven't even told ya the plan."

She stared at him with half lidded eyes. "That I pretended w'ere dating?" He was a little transparent.

"Hey, it's a selfless gesture." She had been stuck in a rut and he just wanted her to remove the barrier she had put on herself.

"Kouga."

"I keep my hands to myself, and you try to live a little." She had let the ghost of Inuyasha's presence invade her life and impact her decisions. Still, he could not possible think she would so blindly accept to play pretend girlfriend. It was to help her move on from him. Although he had been trying to get her to respond to him, it was not about that. Even if it would not hurt for her to get to know him a little better.

"Fine."

Had she just said fine?"

"I'll try it your way if -"

"Ah, there's an if?" He should have known.

"If you get an A on the test this week AND -"

"There's an  _and_  too?" Now she was being plain unfair.

"And you gotta stop avoiding everything related to running and  _your_  team." She was not the only one avoiding something. Maybe he wanted to put on the tough act but she could see right through it.

He was not avoiding running. He had been busy and he had not wanted to ruin his friends and collegues' celebration by tainting it with his presence. He knew exactly what she was trying to do. She did not think that he would say yes - or succeed. "Deal."

Kagome had figured he would not back down from a challenge, though she did wonder how he would go from the D he got last week to an A.

"Good."

-C-

"Alright, fess up."

"Excuse me?"

Kouga tilted his head to the side, trying to understand what he could have possibly done for Kagome's roommate to be staring at him with such a stern look on her face.

"Are you playing her?"

"Playing who?"

"Are you playing with Kagome?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Look, the last year hasn't been easy on her." Usually, Sango tried to not mingle too much. After all, Kagome's life was her own. But - well. Kagome had not interacted with guys - minus Miroku - since her break with Inuyasha. This Kouga thing was unexpected. Kagome had finally shared with her the encounter she had with Inuyasha. In the midst of her emotions and the storytelling, she had overshared and mentioned Kouga. Yes, at first Sango felt a ping of pain out of the fact that she was not her friend's first call. However, she did think it was good that Kagome was expending her social circle. But that posed a risk; what if Kouga was a no good dead beat? Then what? As Kagome's best friend she had no choice but to investigate. "I don't want to have some jerk take advantage of her." Kagome had a kind sol and she knew some people could use that against her.

"I ain't some asshole, trying to get some, if that that's what you mean." Why was that everyone's first opinion of him?

"I'm not saying you are, but I'm looking out for my friend. What are you hoping to get out of this?"

In all honesty, he was not sure. It had started with that kiss and ever since then, he had wanted to know about her. Knowing her as not lessened that need. She mesmerized him with her beauty, her fire, her loyalty. He had yet to meet another girl like her. "I wanna know her."

"With clothes on or off?"

He smirked. "Well, I wouldn't mind if the clothes were off."

_Slap!_

Well, now he knew where Kagome picked up her slapping habits. How were they both so strong for tiny humans? "It's called a joke," he pointed out as he rubbed the side of his arm. "I think she's great and I think Inutrasha is a fucking moron. Good enough for ya?"

She chuckled. "It'll do for now. But I'm watching you. I'm from a long line of youkai slayers. Don't mess with her or I'll have your head."

"Yes ma'am." Well that explained the hidden strength. Youkai slaying was a basically extinct practice but the documentation on it lived through to this day. She pointed a finger at him, silently warning him before walking away, her stride confident. He could not help the laughter that bubbled in his chest; he had officially been warned by her best friend. Things were looking good for him.

-C-

Kagome groaned as her phone vibrated yet again. She was really starting to regret making that deal with him. Now that he had her phone number, he was unstoppable. He had taken it upon himself to send her tests messages and pictures to inform her of his every move. Anytime he picked up a book, he sent a picture. But that was not all! In an effort to prove to her that he was not avoiding his track team, he would text her time result, team updates and even photos of the group. She was not quite sure that she bought it but it did not stop him from sending them. He was committed, she would give him that.

"You're popular," Sango commented without lifting her eyes from her book.

"Not really," Kagome answered as she flipped her cellphone so that she could only see the blue back cover. "It's all from the same annoying person."

"Kouga?"

She felt a slight blush peaked on her face. "Yeah."

_Buzz._

Kagome sighed before grabbing her phone once again while missing the smirk Sango was throwing her way. As expected, it was a picture of his book. The background of the picture had changed however as he no longer appeared to be in the kitchen. Instead of seeing his book resting on a wooden table, it was on a dark blue comforter. She gave up!  _Do you intent on snapchatting me your whole day?_

_That's not my whole day. If it was, there would be a picture of me in the shower ;)._

As her cheeks became a deep red color, she resisted the urge to toss her phone away in embarrassment.

"You okay?" Sango inquired with a sly smile.

"I'm g-great."

The nerve of him!  _As if, I'll pass on that._

_Really? Because you didn't seem to mind catching me out of the shower last time. Half naked. Plus this would be waaaay better. I'd actually be fully naked this time._

Oh yes, the water dripping ripped naked chest she had witnessed when she had shown up uninvited. A chest she had  _not_  stared at - she had no idea what he was talking about. Yes, he happened to have a nice chest. That did mean she ogled like a desperate teenager.  _I think you're mistaken your fantasy for mine._ That should shut him up.

_Are you offering?_

She had not thought that she could get any redder but apparently she was wrong. Even the tip of her nose felt like it was on fire at this very moment. "Pervert," she mumbled.

Sango threw a glance of confusion her way but Kagome pretended not to see it. What did he even want her to say to this? She was not about to grace his request. She wore a one piece bathing suit to the beach for crying out loud. Se knew what he was trying to do! He was trying to intimidate her! Well she was not about to let him win!  _Keep it in your pants, mister_.

 _Ding!_  That was quick.  _I assure you, it's a lot more fun when its out of the pants._

 _Oh-_ my-god. Alright, he definitively could win. She tossed her phone as far away from her hands as possible, watching it land by her feet. There was something real about him. Perverseness aside, there was a  _comic_  side to him that soothed her. He was frank, honest and he certainely did not hide his opinion - which made it a lot easier to trust him. She shook her head; what a dumbass.

Meanwhile, Kouga was lying in his be with a smile plastered over his face. He had not quite expected her to reply to his latest message, but he would hae liked it. After his carefulness with her, she now seemed more open to him and is  _humor_. There was only one problem; it was backfiring on him. He might have found her interesting before but not he was hooked.

-C-

"Who's that?" Sango explained with rage as she covered her head with her red pillow.

They had been sleeping peacefully when suddenly their rest had been interrupted by the sound of someone banging on the door. Initially, Kagome had feared that she had slept right through her alarm and panic had taken hold of her heart. However, a quick glance at her alarm clock had rapidly slowed down her racing heartbeat. It was only 5:15am. After making that realization, she joined Sango in her feelings of rage. Who the heck was at their door at 5 in the freaking morning? She tried to take a peek at Sango but it was becoming insanely clear that she had no intention of getting out of bed. Unfortunately whoever was at their door also did not seem like he had any intentions of going away. With a sigh, Kagome resigned herself. She threw her light yellow blanket off of her body and put her bare feet against the cold ground. She dragged herself all the way to the door, her eyes half lidded. Once she reached it, she wrapped her small hand around it and yanked it open. What she found on the other side was not at all what she expected: Kouga. He was leaning in the doorway, his blue eyes matching the color of his shirt while he was flashing her a big wide grin.

"Kouga?" she managed to say with a croaked voice.

"Morning sunshine."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He had to admit, she was cute in the morning. Her hair was tousled, her white shirt had risen up enough to show some of her stomach and he was not about to complain about the tiny shorts she was wearing. "I came to share the good news."

Her eyes narrowed. "What could you possibly have to tell me that couldn't wait until our tutoring session?" He was about to learn that if there was one thing that she was not, it was a morning person. If it were up to her, anything before 10am would not even exist.

"Oh you see, this is very important." It was hard not to laugh; her scent was unmistakable. She was pissed off and as strange as it was to admit it, it was kind of turning him on. I don't know if you remember, but we made a deal with week."

A deal? What in the world was he even talking about…crap. No, no, no. "No you didn't."

His smirk grew in size at her reaction. "Yes, I did." He was already a morning man but he had made a point to get up extra early this morning just so he could come and see her. His teacher usually displayed the grades around 1am.

"Prove it." It was not like she took him for an idiot or she thought that he could not do it. But - in a week? Nobody went from a D to A.

He figured that she might need something a bit more tangible than his word to believe him and he had come prepared for such an occasion. He reached from behind his back and whipped out a piece of paper.

There it was, staring at her in dark color: 91%. How in the world did he manage to do that?

"Well, now that the deal has been won, I guess I'll let you sleep." He pulled down the sheet of paper, a smirk ever present on his face. "After all… my woman needs her sleep."

Ah  _crap_. So much for playing the tough game.

-C-


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 6: Holiday / Celebrations
> 
> A/N: College!AU. Obviously, I picked Halloween. Obviously. There is drinking.

"No."

" _It'll be fun_."

"Nope."

"Ah come on, didn't you have fun last time?"

"It was okay. But - I'm not going to change my answer."

"Why not?"

"Because - I don't like that."

"You don't like Halloween? Who doesn't like Halloween?"

"I love Halloween."

"So you're coming then."

"No."

"But you just said -"

"I said I loved Halloween. I didn't say anything about loving Halloween parties."

"Ah come on, it's the same thing!" Kouga defended as he leaned in closer to her.

He had nearly spent their entire tutoring session trying to convince her to come to the big party tomorrow. He thought he had lessened her fears of parties after their little beerpong adventures. Granted, that party was a little quieter than their super bash Halloween Party but  _still_. He would be there, he would make sure everything was fine. Unfortunately for him, it did not matter what argument he threw her way; she would not have it. She did not want to come. He had pictured her as someone who would enjoy the festivities - especially since he had since her something  _pumpkin_  flavor ever since october had rolled in.

"It's a  _costume_  party."

"Oh how could I miss out dressing out in as little clothing as possible?"

He chuckled. "You can wear an  _actual_  costume. I mean, don't give me wrong - if ya wanna come as a sexy nurse, you won't hear me complain."

"Arh, arh," she faked laughed.

"One drink?"

The idea of the party was not the worst thing in the world. However, she did have a fear; what if Inuyasha showed up. After the little incident with him, she felt like he might  _track_  her down just to make her life miserable. Obviously, she had not told anyone - not even Sango - that Inuyasha came to her but… it left her a little startled. Clearly he knew which frat house Kouga belonged to - what if he came just to make her life miserable? She did not want to risk it. "Kouga…"

And he knew that voice. He had learned to recognize the little shifts in her intonation. "What if…" he said as he leaned in, his lips approaching her ear as he got ready to whisper. "I promise that the one that shall not be named won't be there?"

She did register his words but for a moment, she felt like her words were caught in her throat. The long hair of his ponytail were tickling her bare shoulders while his warm breath was sending tickles down her spine. When had he gotten this close?  _And the one that shall not be named_? Oh. "Still no."

"Now, if I recall properly, a deal was made - and won."

"That deal didn't say anything about a Halloween party."

"If you don't like it, you can just leave, I promise."

"Las time I agreed to something like that, I ended up kissing a perfect stranger."

"I'm sorry, I'm still not getting what the problem is." As far as he was concerned that had turned out great for her.

"Funny."

"Funny? I always thought that charming was a better choice of word to describe me."

"You can be as  _charming_  as you want, I'm still not going." There was a limit to how much she wanted to be out of her element and slutty halloween was it.

"Fine, let's reverse it. What if we make sure he's there?"

"What?"

"The deal was for you to make him suffer, if he's there, it'll be perfect." Although, he did feel like the longer she held on to him, the worse it was. Letting him go was the key, but he would be lying if he did not admit that he intended on using this deal to help her get to know him a little better.

"I don't want him there either." If she already though she would not have a good time without him there, she would not have a good time with him there. She knew that the point he was making was valid; she should not be basing her entire life around Inuyasha. But she had been doing it for so long already - what else was she expected to do? She could not switch around her whole life in one second. It already happened to her once… she did not want it to happen again.

"Then live your life." He had offered her both options, and she did not want them.

"Why does it have to be at a slutty halloween party?" she whined.

He chuckled. "What if we refused entrance to girls who aren't at least 60% covered up?"

" _Ah, ah_." She shook her head at his words. As if he would shun away naked girls. "Well, then how would you have fun?"

"I'd have my woman to keep my company, that's all I need."

 _His woman_. That had started the moment he had won the stupid deal. Ever since then, he had been gloating with pride and rubbing his victory in her face.  _She knew_  he was joking. Although - sometimes, his words rang true. She was not used to a guy being this forward and honest with his words. But he could not possibly feel anything  _real_  for her. She felt like all of their conversations were targeted towards Inuyasha - that was no way to fall for someone. Not that she was trying to fall for anyone - because she was  _not_.

"I'll think about it. What about that?"

He smirked. "Good enough for me."

So far, he had done a pretty good job in convincing her to live her life again. It had not always worked all the time, but he had faith. Already, he was pleased enough that she wanted  _life_  to decide  _who_  would be at the party. He would  _gladly_  make a scene and keep that asshole out of his frat house, but for her sake, he would not do that. Although, his frat was renowned for its parties, meaning there was a chance that jerk would show. Especially since Kouga happened to be on his radar.

It was a gamble.

-C-

_Why, why, why_  had she thought this was a good idea?

Orange lights, hanging spiders and screaming bats were amongst the decorations that were staring right at her. She could see the people walking into the frat house, walking through the door as though they lived there. Then again, she imagined that was what most people did. Unlike her who knocked at the door during her first party.  _God_ , she could do it, she could walk in. She had managed to get this far… People walked by her as though she did not exist. They were bumping into her, heading towards the sound of the halloween music. She should be doing the exact same thing, yet she was frozen in place. How could she let her amazing costume go to waste? In a last minute effort, she had decided that if she was going to go, she would make an impression on him.

That was how she had found herself shopping for a costume on the day of Halloween. Although she did think that it ended up being worth it in the end - that was if she could get herself through that door of course. She inhaled deeply, cheering herself on as she finally took her first step. Everyone was walking much faster than her but it did not matter. Once she finally came face to face with the door, her heart bouncing in her rib cage, as she passed the door way.  _You got this girl_.

She tried to make sure she was avoiding all type of eye contact as she searched for a familiar face. This would have been much easier if Sango had come with her but she already had plan with Miroku and his fraternity. She had obviously invited her to join them but Kagome had declined the invitation. And now she was here by herself and she was starting to feel like an idiot. As she pinched her lips together, turning them white, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned around only to realize, with relief, that she was staring at Hakkaku.

"Nice, get up," he commented with a laughter.

Him and the boys were on an important mission; whoever smelled Kagome first had to go to her and then find Kouga. Originally, none of them had been convinced that she would show up but Kouga had never lost faith. She was good for him; he had been stuck in a rut after learning that he had to take a break from running, and she had been the ray of sunshine he needed. Anything they could do to get two knuckleheads together, they would do.

"Thanks," she answered with a blush.  _Hopefully_ , it did not make her look too pathetic.

"I was actually going to see Kouga." Lie. "Wanna join me?"

If she said yes, she might actually appear to be a little too eager, but she also did not want to say no and be left all alone again. It only left her with one option. "Sure."

He flashed her a smile before turning around and leading the way. Kouga was about to be pretty happy with him. Ever since people had started rolling in, he had been on the lookout for Kagome. After pushing their way through a thick crowd of tipsy people in costume, they finally reached Kouga. And they had learned that  _wings_  could be dangerous. And sticks.

"I found your little red ridding hood," Hakkaku said with a smirk as he moved out of the way to reveal Kagome.

It was all it took for Kouga to take the sight in. He had seen a lot of nearly naked girls since the evening had begun and she was a breath of fresh air. Also, he refused to believe that her costume was random. Little red riding hood? She was adorable underneath it. The hood covered her dark bangs and part of her face but the red cap revealed enough for him to be able to tell that she was wearing a simple white dress beneath it all.

"Nice costume."

"I figured you might like it."

Now that made it sound like she had picked her costume based on him.  _His intuition had been right_. "Does that make me the big  _bad_  wolf?"

She found it difficult to not blush at the tone he had used, but she managed it. " _You_? Bad?"

"Ouch." He faked pain by touching his palm to his chest. If he had known she was coming as  _that_  he would have picked another costume. He always went for the simple costume; he did not want it to get in its way all night. He had opted to be a vampire which was easy when the fang were real. He had the typical black cape attached around his neck and a white t-shirt with black pants underneath it all. He had made a minimal effort by having streaks of false blood on both side of his mouth.

"Want something to drink?"

"Hm…"

"We got the girly stuff." He remembered that she was not a fan of the taste of alcohol.

"Surprise me?" she said as she nearly regretted it.

He chuckled. "Ginta, can you get her something?"

"On it."

Although Kagome's costume was much more modest than most of the other girls, it did not mean that she did not stand out in this crowd. He planned on limiting the time he spent away from her. Although that reminded him of something quite important. "Hey - don't … don't take drinks from strangers alright?" Usually, he could keep a tight control on who was present and made sure to keep the assholes out but Halloween was always a bit tricky.

She almost made a joke but the seriousness in his voice almost frightened her. "I won't." She already did not plan on drinking much, and she knew that strangers equaled danger.

But for now, she would try to focus on having fun instead.

-C-

Ah crap.

Kagome let her head rest up against the wooden door of the bathroom, hoping it would help her deal with the dizzyness that plagued her. It did not. But - but she had barely drank! A few cups tht Ginta and Hakkaku had brought her but nothing more than that. She had been perfectly fine until the moment she had decided that she needed the bathroom. Why, why, why did she go to the bathroom? And who knew that wearing a cape would make her body temperature rise so much? Alright, she could do this! She took a deep breath and then finally unlocked the bathroom' door so that she could return to the party. Her first steps were gracious but the ones that followed were a little wobbly. She spotted the stairs and headed for them. Kagome wrapped her slender fingers around the ramp, using it to keep herself fully stable. This was the last time she would let herself drink alcohol. Now she just needed to remember where in the world Kouga was. Maybe if she could spot's anyone's head that would help.

Suddenly, the perfect balance she had found was disrupted when something bumped into her.

"Woa, sorry," said the something as it helped her stabilized.

"It's fine."

She raised her head only to find herself looking into a pair of eyes that she did not recognize. His orbs were a bright red color while dark wavy hair framed his face. Black things that looked like legs were sticking from his sides, obviously glued to his back. He also appeared to have spiderwebs covering his arms.  _What the hell_.

"How about you sit down, I can take you to one of the rooms."

His voice rang false to her ears and his words sent a shiver traveling down her spine. She could not explain it but his presence alone was enough to give her a bad gut feeling. She only knew one thing; she wanted to get as far away from that guy as possible.

"I'm fine."

"Are you, there's a bedroom right there."

"I said  _let me go_." This time, she yanked her body away from his hold.

"Hey -"

"I think she told ya to  _fuck_  off. Naraku."

Ginta stood by Kagome's side, sending a glare in direction of Naraku. He had sensed a flare in aura and that had directed him in direction of Kagome. She was in the company of the worst person. Naraku was just lucky that Kouga was not here. He did not need another reason to hate Naraku.

"She yours?"

"I'm not anybody's you jackass!"

Naraku chuckled. "Nah, a girl like that could never be yours." Still, her little outburst was enough for him to leave but Ginta remained less than pleased with the interaction.

"You okay?"

"I'm good. I just wanna get away from these stairs." He was not the first asshole she had to deal with and he would not be the last.

He chuckled. "Fine by me."  _Yup_ , he liked her.

Ginta led her back downstairs where Kouga was. Unless Kagome mentioned it, he would not talk about the whole Naraku thing. Why ruin a perfectly good evening? Nothing had happened and all was well.

"Kouga!"

At the sound of his name being shouted, Kouga had no choice but to turn his head to see who was calling him. He quickly found himself looking at a stumbling Kagome heading his way. Somehow it brought him back to the night she had kissed him. Perhaps it was due to her state of tipsiness. He was smirking at her, ready to pass a little comment when suddenly, he had one of her fingers jammed in the inside of his mouth. What in the world? The tip of her finger was jammed beneath his canine.

"Are these yours or fake ones?" Most youkais had canines of their own, but she could not recall if wolves youkais did as well. How similar to real wolves were they?

"Mines," he mumbled around her finger.

"Uh," she said before retracting her finger. Some of his fake blood stained her finger and without thinking twice about it, she shoved that finger in her mouth, tasting it. Immediately she grimaced. "That's gross."

"It's supposed to be." As much as he knew he would have to keep an eye on her, tipsy Kagome was an absolute delight."

"Who wants jello?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she watched the tray of small portions of blood red jello. She gladly took one and tilted the small cup so that the entire content made its way down her throat..

Kouga winced.  _Oh boy_. "Shots."

"What?" asked Kagome as she put down the plastic container.

"They're shots. Jello shots."

"Oh." She stared at the tray. Really? She had not even tasted the alcohol. "That's not good," she stated. As if her legs were not wobbly enough.

"Alright, how about we get you away from anything that might have alcohol in it?"

Without allowing her to respond, he grabbed her hand and dragged her away. Before, she knew it, they were in the midst of a group of dancing people.

"I don't think dancing is something I can do right now," she pointed out. Already she was the worst dancer in the world - alcohol was certainely not going to make this any better.

"I'll hold ya so you don't fall." He began looking around, searching for something that might help. He leaned towards one of the tables and grabbed a handful of candy; chocolate and candy corn. That would do. She took them from him, clearly uncertain, but she ate them regardless. She had bene feeling a little hungry. Though, that was probably due to the increasing level of alcohol she had intake during the evening.

"Do I have to say yes to daaaancing?"

"It's part of the deal."

Her eyes narrowed but the way her head was dipped forward cancelled any chance she had of appearing terrifying. "There are a lot of things included in that deal of yours."

He laughed. " _Well_ , that's what it's good to be a winner."

She shook her head softly as she reluctantly tried to move her hips. She did not know the first thing about dancing or rhythm and it was clear that if she did not have alcohol in her system, she would not be embarrassing herself like this. To him, it appeared to come naturally, but she was not him. He was much different than her. Even in the face of adversity, he reacted differently.

But now it was not time for this.

Now was the time when she was trying to not be what she was.

-C-

"Rummy Mummy?"

"Rummy Mummy."

"Do I wanna know?" she inquired her head tilted to the side.

"It's a fun game," Ginta pitched in.

"Limited alcohol use too," Hakkaku added.

Although her tipsy state had not gone away, it had not gotten worse. Perhaps a game would clear up her mind and get her going away. Since she had been kept away from the alcohol, she had felt a little tiredness claim her but she did not want to sleep yet.  _A game_  wouldn't be bad.

"Guys - we're gonna make her dizzy." Rummy mummy was perhaps not the best game for her right now.

"Is someone gonna tell me how to plaaay?"

He chuckled. "Teams of 4. Gotta roll one of us in toilet paper until he's mummified. Once that's done, he's gotta down his drink. First team to wrap up all their team members and finish their drinks win."

"What do they win?"

"A shot."

"I don't get it."

"Do you need to get it to play?" Ginta asked with a smirk.

"I guess not."

It did not sound so bad now did it? There was a little bit of drinking but there was a lot of  _playing_  around. She could do that no problem.

"Alright, so Kagome, Kouga, Ginta and I are a team," Hakkaku declared to the room.

A group of two guys and two girls joined them in the middle of the room, increasing Ginta's excitement. Hakkaku rushed to get some of the toilet paper rolls they had in the pantry and ran back with a bunch. "Now remember, it only counts if the person is completely wrapped up and mummified."

"Who do we start with?" Ginta inquired.

"Not Kagome," Hakkaku and Kouga said in unison.

"Hey, why not me?"

"Well."

"You see."

"You'd be a little better."

"Sober and not dizzy?"

" _Fine_." They were not wrong. Still, it did not mean that she would happily admit to that, and so, she would pretend it was a little upsetting.  _God_ , she needed to stop this drinking this. It made her do slightly stupid thing. Like agreeing to a completely public game during which she would probably be highly embarrassed. Why in the world was she doing this?

"How about we just start with me?" Ginta offered.

"That works."

Ginta moved to the middle of the room allowing his teammates to get ready around him. A new person, that Kagome did not recognize, joined their little game so that he could watch and time the game. "Are you all ready?"

"Yes."

"Ready, set, go."

As rapidly as possible all three of them began to wrap up Ginta as rapidly as they could. Kouga and Hakkaku were a little more precise in their wrapping skills then Kagome was - and they were faster too - but all and all they were gaining speed. Once it was completed, Izu - the one who was judging their little game - brought up a full glass of  _something_ , and Kouga ended it to Ginta. It took him no time to down it completely and once he was done, he moved out of the spot. As Hakkaku took his place, Ginta tried to shed as much of his toilet paper as possible. Once he was free from it, he helped his teammate wrap up Hakkaku as rapidly as possible. Once again, the task was completed in no time. Hakkaku also took a shot of the mysterious alcohol and then, Kouga took his place as well.

At that point, Kagome was getting a little dizzy, but from what she was able to see, they were currently winning. Yes, she was a nice person but  _winning_? She needed a win. Even if the prize was just a stupid shot that she did not even want.

There was a slight problem for her when it came to Kouga; he was much taller than the other two guys. She tried to hop on her feet and jumped to cover his head, but all of her jumps were failing miserably. He tried not to laugh, but it was turning out to be a more difficult task than he had anticipated. Luckily for them, the guys were there to help, and the covering up still managed to get done. After a few minutes, he was completely mummified and he could see Ginta waving a red cup in front of his nearly completely covered eyes. He lifted his hand, ripped the paper from in front of his mouth and downed the whole thing in a matter of seconds.

It only left Kagome.

She readied herself and as she stood in the middle of the boys, Kouga realized that wrapping her up was going to be slightly more awkward than when it was the boys. Still, he was a cocky man and he enjoyed his victories. Thankfully, the boys felt just as awkward as him and waited for him before they began. It made them lose a few seconds, but - it was doable. They began turning around her, covering her as loosely and rapidly as they could. Kagome felt a little woozy watching them spin around her but she tried to maintain her composure as best as she could.

"Ya alright in there?"

She nodded.

A few more seconds went by before she heard someone scream, " _get her the drink_."

Before she knew it, there was that red cup in front of her. She had a feeling it would not be something she would like - but this was the guarantee of their victory. She gathered her courage, a courage she had obtained from the alcohol she drank, and grabbed the cup. She brought it to her lips and despite everything in her body telling her she would regret this, she downed it. At first, it was not too terrible. But then, once the liquid began burning her throat, she found her acid reflex kicking in. She held back as much as she could, hoping that eventually it would run out. Seconds ticked away and she kept on holding her breath.

And then it was over.

_"WINNERS!"_

Kagome let the cup drop to the ground; she had done it. She had won it for the team! She felt Kouga's hands on her head as he tore away the toilet paper that covered her face so that she could see again. She flashed him a bright smile and he returned the gesture. "I did it!"

"Ya did it."

Suddenly, he felt like he was in a flashback. Just like when she had made the shot in beer pong, she threw her arms around him. Except, this time, she was a little tipsier, which meant she did it with a lot of strength. She nearly tipped them over, but he managed to stabilize them as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. Her hood had fallen off and her long dark locks were tickling his nose, teasing him with her scent. Her warm body was pressed against his, her chest squeezing his pectoral and he was forced to tilt his head backwards. " _I did it_."

He would be lying if he said he did not know the feeling. He knew what it was like to need a win after a few losses. The little things made the difference.

After a moment, she finally pulled away from him. "Do you think I can switch the shot for candy corn?"

Laughter bubbled out of him. "Yea, I think so."

"Good."

She began walking away from him, her walk quite wobbly.

_She was not going to make it home on her own._

-C-

And as he had expected, he was her ride home.

Of course, he had also drank some alcohol and even though he had a higher tolerance than her - it was affecting him a little bit. So, because he knew better than to drive her home - and he did not want to put her in a cape - he had opted for the piggyback ride. Kagome had her legs secured around his waist, her arms locked around his neck, and her head nestled in his neck. For safety measure, he was holding her thighs keeping her up. He had wanted to carry her in his arms but when he had tried to lift her, it had not turned out so well. Plus, holding a drunk sleeping chest in his arms? Some might ask questions and he was trying to avoid that. He could have stayed but… The alcohol had turned her body into a dead weight and  _well_  he did not want her to wake up at the frat house. It was best if he got her home to her own place.

"Kouga?"

"Yes?"

She turned her head, her lips brushing up against the edge of his neck. "I'm sleepy." It was like she was kissing him, her mouth feeling warm.

"I know, that's why I'm taking ya home."

"You're a good guy."

That was a nicer thing to say than anything sober Kagome had ever said.

"I try."

"But good guys become jerks," she mumbled on his skin. "Don't become a jerk okay?"

"I promise."

"Good."

She laid his head in the crook of his neck again, her hood covering her face and shielding her from the wind. She trusted him. She was on his back, tipsy - drunk… and she was trusting him to get her home safely. He had no intention of ever breaking that trust. He took small steps, a smile on his face, as he walked the rest of the way to her residence. She did not wake up again on the way, and he was able to make it to her floor before having to wake her up. He would have liked to avoid doing so but the door was locked. He had tried to knock, hoping that her roommate would be there and that she would open the door but he was not that lucky. There was no answer.

"Kagome?"

Nothing.

"Kag?"

"Hm?"

"I need your keys."

"Pocket," she replied without opening her eyes.

She  _wanted_  him to go through her pockets? Wait, she did not have pocket, she was wearing a dress. "Kag, what pockets?"

"Hm, socks."

"Socks?"  _Oh_. It was in her sock. Hm. He leaned forward, keeping her on his back, before trying her left sock. Luckily for him, the key was in it. He fished around and managed to pull out a silver key out of her sock. Would it be too weird for him to have a copy of her key? Yes, yes it would.

He managed to unlock the door and he pushed it open with his foot. As expected, it was completely empty.

"Left or right?" Both beds appeared like they could be hers and… well usually he would smell it all but honestly after having her so close to him, everything smelled like her and he could no longer tell the difference.

"Right."

He walked over to her bed and once he reached the edge, he knew he had to flip her around so that he could help her lay down. He did the best maneuver that he could, slowly shifting her around so that she was resting her chest against his. Once she was in the proper position, he slowly lowered her to her bed, on top of the covers. Initially she did not let go of his neck but after a little tugging, she set him free.  _Apparently_ , sleepy tipsy Kagome liked him a lot more than sober Kagome. He wondered if this was how carefree she was when she was not in pain or it was just the influence of the alcohol. Perhaps he would never know.

Once he made sure she was safely settled into her bed, he pulled away. He would keep her key for now; after all, he had to lock the door behind himself. He did not want to leave her like this unprotected. He had to watch out for her.

"G'night Kagome."

"No."

"No?"

"Sit."

She wanted him to  _sit_?

"I don't wanna be alone," she mumbled into her pillow.

At those words, he felt his heart squeeze in pain; she wanted  _him_ to keep her company? Well if his  _woman_  asked, he could stay. After all, what was a little bit more time? He put his back to the bed and slid down until his ass hit the ground. He rested his head against the edge of the bed, his long ponytail resting on her comforter. He felt a shift in the bed and before he knew it, he could sense her fingers being tingled in his hair. He chuckled. Yes, drunk Kagome was affectionate.

 _The thing he did for his woman_.

-C-


	7. Chapter 7

"Woah!"

The sound of the loud voice echoing through the room was enough to stir Kagome from her rest. Unfortunately for her, it meant that she was now plagued with the worst headache of her existence. She was unable to open her eyes due to the violent pounding in her head, and she  _fairly_  certain that the little bit of content in her stomach wanted to come  _up_. Oh god. She lifted the blanket above her head, trying to shield her eyes from the light invading the room. When had it gotten so damn bright? Also, why in the world was Sango  _screaming_? And what time was it?  _And where was she_? Oh god.  _Alcohol_. There was a reason why she had stayed away from that in the past. She did not want to be in this kind of state for something that was not even worth it in the first place… And yet, she had apparently done it without any limits last night.

"Sshhhh," was all she managed to say.

" _Oy_."

Wait - that was not Sangos' voice. This time she was forced to emerge herself out of the darkness she had enveloped herself in so that she could see who's voice it was. There was no way she had a brought a stranger in her room. She was not that stupid. Through her half open eyes, she managed to scan the vicinity. She could see her comforter all bundled up at the edge of the bed, and then  _hair - a long ponytail_ \- dark hair. Oh _. She knew that hair_. She knew it a little too well.

"Kouga?"

 _Ow_. Why did she say it so loud? She held the side of her head with her hand while closing her eyes once more. Too bright.  _Too loud_. Too dead.

Meanwhile Kouga twisted his neck to the left and the right, hoping to get rid of his muscle spams. He arched his back, hearing it crack as he did so; that felt a little better. He might be a youkai but it did not mean that he enjoyed sleeping with his neck crooked all night. He was going to feel it today. He ran his large palm over his neck, rubbing it, before trying to scramble to his feet. When had he turned into such a moron? He had fucking fallen asleep on her  _floor_. He had really meant to leave but then… his own tiredness had claimed him. Granted his alcohol tolerance was much better than hers but… he had pulled a few all nighters to be able to get his magical A. The one that granted him his lovely evening of yesterday. Still, now he had screwed it up. Fuck, that was going to be a fun one to explain.

"Mornin'," he answered with a raspy voice, forcing him to clear his throat.

"Sorry,  _didn't mean_  to… interrupt," Sango said with a smirk on her face.

Miroku was right behind her, his eyebrows raised. Sango had casually mentioned that Kagome might have someone new in her life, but he had been certainly of the truth of the statement. Now, he was forced to believe it with his own eyes. He did not think their innocent little Kagome could move  _so_  fast. Good for her. It was time that she moved on - after all, their friend Inuyasha had done it at an amazing speed.

" _W-_ what! No."

Nothing had happened. Alright, her brain was killing her and her memory was a bit fuzzy - and  _oh god_  was she dehydrated - but she knew one thing for sure; she did not have sex with Kouga. First of all, she was not this kind of person and  _well_  he was not either. He might be a flirter and a charmer, but he was not this kind of person. She might not have known him for a long time, but she did not think he would take advantage of her. She  _was_ home after all. If he had wanted to try something, it would have been much easier to do so at his own place. He actually went through all the trouble of bringing her home.

" _It ain't like that_."

He knew her friend probably did not mean anything by it, but his honor was wounded. He was a better man than that and he would not take advantage of a drunk woman. It was not his style. He could get a sober woman if he wanted and it would be a lot more fun. Plus, he  _actually_  wanted something with Kagome. He would not waste his chance - a chance she had not even decided to give him yet - by trying something while she was drunk.

Kouga managed to make it to his feet, using the edge of her bed to raise himself up. "You were a little  _tipsy_  last night. I brought you home, and I fell asleep. Sorry 'bout that." He truly did not mean to do - but she had asked him to stay and - and then it had followed its natural path and he had fallen asleep like an idiot. He was fairly certain he would be getting a few comments from the guys on his way back as well.  _Great_.

Through the pain, Kagome managed to offer him a little smile. "I'd thank ya if you were not responsible for the pounding in my head."

He chuckled. "That ain't on me." His goal had been to get her away from alcohol and to make her eat. It had not exactly worked according to plan but he had not purposefully gotten her drunk - the only exception was during their little game.

"I didn't-"

Did she drink? No, well. Maybe a little.  _Oh god_.

"Do you guys have any aspirins?" he asked while looking at Sango.

"I do."

She was not a drunk by any means, but it had happened to her a few times that she had gone over her alcohol limit forcing her to nurse a painful hangover the next day. She could not believe that her little Kagome was finally having her first hangover. Of course, it was a bitch, but in her case it meant that she was actually doing some progress and Sango could not be any prouder. She also was pleasantly surprised that Kouga turned out to be a gentleman. She had not known that her best friend was going to a party. If she had known, she would have at least kept an eye on her and checked up to make sure she got home safely.

But now, Kagome had another person looking out for her.

She rushed to bathroom and returned with two little white pills along with a glass of water. "This should help."

"Is it going to put me in a coma until I feel better?" she whined as she took both items from Sango.

Oh god. Would it ever stop? Would she feel like this until the rest of her days?  _What if she never felt better?_  She could die in this moment. "Please. Please, everybody in this room needs to promise that they will never let me near alcohol again."

The laughter was produced in unison. "I don't know you're pretty funny when you're drunk." The actual word he wanted to say was affectionate, but he kept that to himself. He did not have to share  _everything_.

Oh no. What did she do that she did not remember? " _Kouga…"_

 _"I kid,_  you didn't do anything." Except ask for a piggyback ride, ask him to stay… maybe a bit of snuggling.

"If I didn't already feel like I was dying, I would die."

Her insides were churning, her face was on fire and her entire body was drumming with a new level of pain that she was not familiar with until this very moment.  _Oh god_. Wait, no it was going to get worse, a lot worse. She felt the bile rise up her throat, burning on its way up and she knew she only had a few seconds before it was too late. She tried to untangle herself from her blankets but it appeared a more difficult task than she initially anticipated. She leaned forward, ready to meet her imminent death - and welcoming it - when it was all stopped by a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around her small waist.

"Kag?"

She pressed her palm to his chest, trying to stabilize herself as the whole world refused to  _stop_  spinning. Why would he not stop moving? Oh god, oh god. It was getting closer - she was going to puke her guts out at any moment now. "Bathroom," was all she managed to mumble.

Kouga understood immediately and once he helped her to her feet, he turned her in direction of the bathroom to at least make sure that she had a fighting chance. As soon as she was somewhat stable, she dashed as rapidly as her pounding head allowed her, and made a beeline for the bathroom. Once the door slammed closed, which was a sound she regretted, they heard the graceful sounds of her stomach emptying itself. And it did not sound as though it was about to stop any time soon.

Sango winced as she turned around to look at Kouga. "I really appreciate what you did for her, and I'm really happy you got her home safe and sound…"

"But?"

"But if you're still here after she's done puking, she's gonna hate me." Obviously, Kagome did not know this yet, but she was warming up to Kouga. Sango had noticed it from the first time she had encountered the two of them together. As her best friend, it was Sango's duty to protect her against future embarrassment and puking her guts out made the list.

Kouga could hardly help the smile that reached his lips. Yes, getting embarrassed did sound like something Kagome did a lot. Although he did want to stay and make sure she was alright, he could understand where Sango was coming from - plus he was not leaving Kagome alone; she would be with people who knew her and cared about her.

"Drop me a line so I know she's okay?"

"Sure."

-H-

_Come on_.

Kagome felt filled with desperation as she leaned into the wooden bench, giving up on life; today was not her day. It had begun with the worst headache that life could have plagued her with and it had ended with her remembering that she had promised her mom she would come over for a day. Ever since her arrival at the university, she had been able to return home. Most of it had to do with the fact that she did not know how to face her family after her breakup. Or - the fact that she had not told her family about the break up. They had been used to having Inuyasha around and telling them… she felt like it was a disappointment in the waiting.

Now, her promise had caught up to her and now she was here, waiting for the long bus to arrive to take her home to the shrine. The few hours she had spent hydrating and puking had not really helped much. Sango had gotten some greasy food in her and it had helped settled her stomach but the pain in her head and her state of sluggishness remained no matter what. It was good, it would be a constant reminder that she needed to stay away from alcohol. How did everybody managed to do that almost every day and go through life as though they were fine? She knew there was such a thing as building up a tolerance but… could someone truly ever get used to this?

 _And Kouga_. She had looked like a complete moron in front of him.  _Ugh_. She was never going to live that one down. She knew he would never tell her the full story, but she was sure there was something stupid that she did…

And where was that bus? It was already over twenty minutes late… at this point she was a little early for the next one. This was not good. She wanted to get the bumpy road over as quickly as possible; she had yet to regain full color in her cheeks. Maybe she could go ask? She did not want to arrive too late… then there would be no point in going. She tried to watch down the road, hoping she would spot the bus somewhere down there. But, unfortunately, she was not that lucky. A long sigh was drawn from her lips before she rose to her feet and headed in direction of the little kiosk. Her black suitcase with wheels was dragging behind her as she made it in front of the young lady attending the kiosk. She needed at least one good news today.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know when the 112 will arrive?"

"Let me check."

Kagome smiled gratefully as the girl typed away, trying to locate the needed information.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Oh was not a good word.

"I'm sorry miss. There was an accident on the road, and all buses will be cancelled for tonight."

"What?"

"I'm really sorry."

The only positive side she could see to this was that she had not told her mother yet. She had planned to surprise her and make her happy - and at least it helped her save face. She sighed. "Thank you, anyway."

She turned around, her little wheels squeaking as she did so. And now what? She had done all this and she was right back to the beginning. She should have stayed in bed all day like she had originally planned to do.  _Time to go back to the room_.

-H-

_What was this living hell_?

Kagome shook her head, resisting the urge to bang her head on the wooden door of the apartment.  _For crying out loud_. There it was, staring at her; a black crunchy. She knew what that meant and she had a dreading feeling in the pit of her stomach. Great. Now she was feeling sick once again. Originally, Kagome had been innocent enough to not understand that there was a coding system - and she was happier back then. Sango had not thought about explain it to her. Of course, innocent little Kagome had walked in and… well her eyes had almost melted away. And black was  _bad stuff_. Usually Sango did not keep her locked out… but Sango thought she was away for the weekend…and she was instead alerting other people of the situation. She could not possibly walk in… she did not want to throw bleach in her eyes.

But… well… maybe she could just… knock?

No, no. It would not be fair. She had told her that she was leaving and… honestly Kagome was always there. That meant that as a couple, Miroku and Sango did not have all the intimate moments that they wanted. The least she could do was offer them this moment together…

But then, where could she go?

-H-

She was here. Again. How in the world did she end up going all the way back to the scene of the crime? Why was she not running as fast as possible in the opposite direction?  _Nope_ , instead, she was here and she was knocking on that dreaded door.

And then it opened.

" _Hey, sis_."

Sis?

"Kouga, your woman is here!"

His woman?

"Wait!"

But it was too late. Before she could even react or process all of the information that had just been thrown at her, she could hear someone tumbling down the stairs at rapid speed. It took no time before she saw Kouga's face popping into the doorway, a huge grin on his face. His hair was up in a bun, dripping water on his white t-shirt.  _What was it about that boy and water_? He was either wet or shirtless. And why was she thinking about his shirtless wet chest?  _God_.

"Hey you're still alive," he teased. She still did not look a hundred percent like her regular self but she looked a lot better than she had in the morning. In his case, all he had needed was a quick shower and he had been good to go. His eyes finally traveled to her feet and that was when he noticed that she had a suitcase with her. Wait… "Hey, is everything okay?"

She arched an eyebrow, suddenly confused by the sudden concern in his face. Kagome had to follow his line sight to realize what he was looking at;  _oh_. "Oh, no. I am — my bus was canceled. I was going home." She popped her lips. And now came the awkward part. "And I can't go back to my place."

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Why, what happened?"

"Well, my roommate thinks that I'm out of town."

"So?"

"So…"

Her cheeks developed a slight red color as she forced herself to look away. Her mind was suddenly filled with very bad memories of when she had caught them together. She would be scarred for the rest of her life. Although, she could admit to one thing; Miroku was a very imaginative man. She  _shuddered_.

Once the scent of embarrassment filled out the vicinity, Kouga  _understood_. "Oh, her and her boyfriend are banging."

Well - that was the  _crude_  way to put it. "Yeah."

Kouga could not help but chuckle. "Wanna come in?"

"If - if it's okay. I don't wanna bother."

"Hey, you're my woman. You're always welcome here."

"Yeah about that…"

" _Hey_  - I won. Remember?"

"I don't think anyone is here to see it."

"Practice makes perfect?"

She tilted her head to the left, disbelief all over her features. She knew he mostly did things to get a reaction out of her and it nearly worked every time. Despite knowing he was baiting her, she would react each time because -  _he knew how to get her_.

"Can I at  _least_ ask what the whole sis thing was about?"

"Oh. Wait, who called you that?"

"Ginta."

He nodded. "It's a pack thing."

"A pack thing?"

"Yeah, we're just - if you're in the pack you're a brother or a sister."

That did nothing to clarify her confusion. "That's the thing - I'm not pack." Yes, she had opened up to Kouga a lot more than she had anticipated but… okay she was coming to him  _again_  but… but…well… just  _but_.

He scoffed. "You? Not pack?"

"Kouga, I'm not  _actually_  your woman." There was a part of her that wondered sometimes if he actually knew that it was a mock up deal. He had succeeded in upping his grades, and she was letting him gloat but it would not go on forever.

"You don't have to be my woman to be pack you know. There's more to it than that."

He would not explain to her the entire complexity of the pack, but - even if he never got to  _know her better_ , she would be pack. The boys had accepted her from the beginning and that would not go away. He was not even sure she understood that it did not happen often. Yes, they had friends and acquaintances, but they did not simply welcome every person into their pack. Being part of the pack held a lot of meaning and usually it came with a lot of responsibilities. Obviously, they were not expecting all that of her. She had not requested a place in their pack, but they had welcomed her anyway. The boys were looking out for her on their own, and they enjoyed her presence.

How could they not?

There was something about her presence that would light up the whole room. She had warmth, laughter and kindness bubbling out of her. It was why he was so mad at Inutrasha for ruining parts of her. She did not deserve to be treated like that and eventually that mutt would pay.

"Now how 'bout we get you in?"

"Are you sure?" Now she felt bad. Inuyasha had explained the whole concept of pack to her but it had remained vague. Mostly because he did not feel much attachment to his own. Him and his brother barely talked…

"If you ask one more time, I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder."

And she knew he meant it.

"Alright then."

He grinned. "Good." He moved out of the way to let her in, and then turned his head to shout at the boys. "If anyone is not wearing pants, now is the time to put some on."

 _Oh boy_.

-H-

How in the world did she end up? She truly needed to take some time to look over her recent life choices. First, she had gotten smashed drunk, then she had not bothered to valid that the bus was running. And if all of that was not enough, she had decided to take shelter at Kouga's fraternity house. And now?  _Now_  she was in his room _._ Kagome had desperately tried to call Sango, hoping to get an update or the sign that the coast was clear but life was not that kind to her. Instead, she was left in the void with no answer at all. It was not that late yet but her poor brain was buzzing inside of her skull and she  _needed_  to lay down. After quite a few comments from the boys, Kouga had offered up his bedroom. Obviously, she had refused it more than once.  _She was not about to touch that_. She was not going there with him.

But then, time ticked away and even her brain cells were hurting.

So she caved in.

Of course, it was  _clear_  that she would be the only one in that bed.

But now… she felt like a jackass for insinuating that he was making assumptions. After all, he had gotten her home safely.

" _Hey_  I - I didn't have a chance to say it. But thank you. For yesterday." She was  _fumbling_  like an idiot. Both her hands were clasped together, her fingers twitching as she stared at his wooden floor, a bit too ashamed to meet his gaze.

"Meh, you were right," he said as he walked in with a set of fresh sheets. " _I shoulda_ stopped ya. You were a wild animal."

She narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't that bad."

"You don't remember climbing on top of me?"

" _What!_ "

As he watched the red fill in her cheeks, he bent forward laughing. "I'm teasing." Well, she had climbed him but it was only so that he could give her a piggyback ride. It was much more innocent than whatever she had in mind now. "Seriously, I invited you. You were under my watch, so the least I could do was get you home."

"Kouga, I'm not your responsibility. I drank. My fault."

"Remember the whole pack thing?"

"Yes."

"Well, if you're part of the pack, you're the alpha's responsibility."

"Okay."

He thought he had explicitly told it, but perhaps he had not been obvious enough with her.

"Kagome… I'm the alpha." Perhaps it was his fault; he was used to being around youkais, or people who knew of his status. It could be felt in his aura.

 _Alright_ , she did not know everything about youkai dynamics, and packs - but she did know about alphas. "You're the what?"

"Alpha."

"Oh."

She almost wanted to be surprised but if she thought about it carefully… Yes, he had some priorities that differed from hers but…it did not mean they were wrong. He was a youkai, he used to have powerful legs… his focus had been on getting his team where it needed to be. But, he had been adjusting quite well to his new life. He did take responsibility, he was respectful… and of course, he came with a lot of cockiness. He did feel the profile of the Alpha.

"Did I score points or lose 'em?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"If it helps me, as my woman, it gives you a great status."

" _Kouga_ …"

"I'm still gonna call ya my woman anyway."

"I figured."

"Anyways, here are some sheets."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Did you do something on these sheets that I should know about?"

" _No_." He threw the sheets on the bed before sitting beside her. "I was being polite."

" _Really_  no adventures under the sheets?"

"Not since I meet you."

 _And there he was again_. He was being brutally honest and he was taking her voice away. Why did he make her matter so much, why was he so  _blunt_  with her? Her throat clammed up, her mouth was dry and she was at loss for words. He held up her gaze with his blue eyes, forcing her to look at him. There was something  _burning_  beneath his eyes, something pulling her in. As she felt her heart rate pick up, she took a deep breath, shielding her eyes away from his piercing look. It was then that her eyes landed on his  _legs_. He had originally been wearing long shorts which covered mid-way through tibia. However, in this sitting position, they were raised up, showing his legs all the way to this knees.

For the very first time, she saw the damage.

They talked about his legs, they said he was hurt and he had called himself an idiot, but she had never seen it herself. But there it was.  _Strikes of purples_. They were going up his legs like veins, sometimes turning a blue color. What in the world had done that to him?

"Oh my god."

 _Fuck_.

He jumped to his feet so fast that she saw nothing more than a blur. Instead of facing her, he had turned his back to her, trying to hide the shame that showed upon his features. He had not fucking thought about it. The purple lines were part of his legs now - it was how he knew that he was not doing any better. Whatever Naraku had done to him, it had scarred him. Whenever the purple lines appeared, there was pain. The doctors had not made it disappear and time had not taken care of them either. He was stuck. He was not getting worse but he was not getting any better either. The guys knew about it because they had seen it but he did not show this to the outside world. She was not the outside world… but she was Kagome. He did not need her to see his weaknesses.

"Kouga -" She did not know what to say. The flesh was abused, damaged -  _tainted_. She knew he was a youkai but even  _he_  had to be in pain. Did it hurt him when he walked?

"It's fine."

But she ignored his words as she stood up and put her hand on his arm. Still, he did not turn to look at her. "Kouga - I didn't know." She had talked about Inuyasha. She had even called him after her little encounter from hell. He had always shown up for her. He had even let her  _use_  him when they first met. He had taken everything and he had never said anything. She had told him to stop avoiding the running time, she had never… she had never even considered him and his feelings. She had not even known the depth of his pain. She felt  _horrible_. Her heart was stuck in her throat as she felt her eyes fill up with tears.  _Somehow_ , she could feel his pain.

For a moment, Kagome did not care that he offered her resistance. She moved until she was standing in front of him and before he could even react, she wrapped her arms around him. His body felt stiff for a second but then, he loosened up as his own arms came around her waist. He did not want to be weak. He had to keep his head straight for his team, for his pack, for her. He saw the pain in her eyes when she saw Inutrasha with his new girlfriend. She was in pain. She could recover from this. He was not sure if he could.

"I'm sorry."

He swallowed hard, trying to let her words fall on deaf ears. The embrace lasted for a moment before he felt her arms loose around him. Kouga took it as a sign that she was ready to pull away from him, so he did so first. However, he had not interpreted her actions quite correctly. As he pulled away, he found his face an inch from hers. An opportunity presented itself, and as he felt her warm breath tickle his lips, he gave into it. His lips were on hers before she even had a chance to intake a breath of air.

This time  _she_ was the one who stiffened.

His hands were squeezing her waist, much like he had the first time, his lips spreading fire to her entire body. She felt a nibble on her bottom lip, sending a tingle through every single one of her nerve endings.  _Oh god_.

Then, there was a smack of the lips, and she was left with swollen, humid lips. Slowly, his grip on her loosened, freeing her from his large hands. His eyes only met hers for a brief moment and she was unable to find her voice.  _Wait_.

"You can just put the old sheets in the basket. If you need anything I'll be in the room next day."  _He was a fucking moron. He was a fucking moron. He was a fucking moron_.

He did not wait for her reply, instead, he exited the room, closing the door behind himself as he left.  _Shit_. He just fucking blew it.

Kagome stood there, her arms still somewhat hovering in the air as her brain tried to process what had happened. The tips of her fingers touched her lips, feeling the warmth left behind. Her other hand palmed at her chest, fingers spreading like a palm. All she could feel was the pounding of her heart.

 _Oh no_.

She was not going down that road.

She could not…

-H-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: AU/Free day! Well, it's already an AU, but I also used the free day... so. BOTH!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh my god. I am still alive. Sorry guys, it's been crazy. For those who don't follow my tumblr, I am preggers. 4 months along. So, I've been busy! But hm, HI!

 

She laid awake in his bed, the pounding plaguing her head lessening every ticking of every hour. She had managed to fall asleep here and there but complete, restful sleep had eluded her. She knew what was partial responsible for that; the kiss. Sure, he had sort of pursued her and made a few comments but he had never made a move on her - not a real one. She was unsure how to proceed with this new information and she did not know how she felt about it. She did not want a relationship right now. She had tried that and it had gone horribly wrong. And - although he often led her out of her comfort zone, she did enjoy his company. She figured whatever joking flirting he did, it was out of amusement and it would eventually fade away. He did not know her that well. This was unexpected. A groan slipped her as she tossed and turned in his bed. She would never fall asleep again.  _Why did it bother her so much?_  She had kissed him…

And now she was starting to get thirsty.

Maybe a nocturnal walk followed by some water would help her achieve some peace of mind, at least enough to vanquish the restlessness. She gave up, tossing the blankets off of her body before putting her feet down on the cold wooden ground. She shyly exited Kouga's bedroom, poking her head in the hallway, her hair swaying to the left, to make sure it was quiet and empty. Once she confirmed that her surrounding were inhabited, she moved forward. She kept her footsteps quiet as she did not want to make any youkais ears twitch and attract attention to herself. The tip of her pale, bare toes were the only part of her flesh glazing across the floor panels with each slow, agonizing step she took. After what felt like forever,  _and a lot more stairs than she remembered,_  she reached the kitchen. Unfortunately for her, she had not considered the possibility that it might be occupied -  _by Kouga_. He was shirtless, his arms stretched out in front of him as he gripped the counter. It was just enough to reveal stretch skin over flawless abs and a line of hair that disappeared beyond her eyesight -  _and get a grip woman!_  Gah!

He had considered leaving when he caught a sniff of her scent. However, he was not sure he could have done it incognito and he did not want her to think that he was avoiding her. It left him with only one option: to stay. He met her glance. "Can't sleep?"

She found that her voice was stuck in her throat, so she simply shook her head.

Yeah, it was awkward, just as he had expected.  _Fuck_.  _Fucking idiot_. He was not used to this - he did not do this slow game. Girls - well  _usually_  they fell for his charm, his reputation… it was also why he lost interest pretty quickly. Kagome, she was something else, she was captivating. He was going down a new route but -  _fuck_. It was not working. He was  _impulsive_. He pulled himself away from the counter and began walking in her direction, forgetting his shirtlessness. "Listen, about earlier…"

He could tell by the thickness in the air that he had fucked up and that was the last thing he had wanted to do. Now, he was left with doing some damage control so that he would not ruin the small progress he had done with her. It bothered him, it went against who he was. He did not shy from his feelings and he did not pretend… but… "I'm sorry," he finally added as he palmed at his neck. "I - freaked. I'm still - I don't like talking about my legs - and I don't want anyone to see 'em." He was not lying. That unexpected tidbit of sharing had even taken him by surprise. "I didn't wanna talk about it. And I didn't want ya to look at me like that… So I freaked ya out."

Her mouth slacked opened for a beat before she closed it shut. That was… surprisingly logical. "Well, I did do the same thing during my moment of panic." She had kissed him first. It would not be right to hold this against him when she had done the same. Plus, she had seen how uncomfortable he was when the topic focused on his injuries. It was not hard to believe that he might have freaked out and indeed, kissing her was a good way to remove himself from the situation. And yet - what was that in the depth of her chest? Disappointment? No -  _she could not be disappointed_. She did not want to date him… right?

"Don't worry about it. We're even now." Nope. This was a logical explanation to the situation and it did not ruin anything. He was flirting with her in a way to tease her. "And I won't mention the legs again." She did not like it when people brought up her break up…

"Thanks," he said as his gut sunk with a heavy feeling.

He was glad things did not become awkward as a result of his actions but part of him was disappointed. He knew he had toned down his flirting following the guys' advice but now he felt like she did not know he had a real interest in her. He felt like if she kew, she would not as easily dismiss this as a fake kiss to get out of a bad situation. She would have remained reticent or suspicious. For now, he would let it go but he was no longer sure that he was going about this courting the right way. He was going to have to change a few things in the future. This was not progress, this was not what he fucking wanted. "Want something to eat? I can make a mean grilled cheese?" He offered.

She shook her head. " I just came down for some water." Now that the pressure in her chest was gone, she was sure she would find rest much easier than before.

"Water it is," he said as he turned around, grabbed a glass and poured her some water.

This was enough  _awkwardness_  for one night - and what was that feeling in her chest, the pressure crushing down on her ribs, squeezing her lungs? "We'll I'll be going. Thanks for the water," she said as she took the glass from him.

"Good night Kagome."

She offered him a smile. "Good night Kouga."

-C-

As the light of day broke through the bedroom, Kagome found herself groaning loudly. After such a hangover, she would have absolutely adored if she could have slept for ten hours straight - but  _no_. The bright white lite engulfing the entire large room was making it extremely difficult for her to obtain any kind of rest whatsoever. She resigned herself to her situation and opened her eyes. She managed to reach her cellphone that was on the night stand and saw it was 9:01. Earlier than she had wanted but  _oh well_. She stared at her suitcase on the ground and suddenly found herself craving a shower. It would help her wash away the leftover of the alcohol that still impregnated her skin. Yes, shower it was. Even though taking a shower in a frat house did not sound like the most appealing idea in the world, she would do it.  _Gah!_  The things that probably happened in there…

She dropped her suitcase down and quickly searched through it to identify the essentials and then, she headed for the hallway. Luckily for her, she remembered which room was the bathroom. She gave the handle a tug, making sure it was unlocked and that the room was not otherwise occupied. Since she met no resistance, she pushed it open and closed it behind her. The first step was to put her clothes on the counter, before beginning to strip herself of her clothes. As she turned around to face the shower, she removed her t-shirt. Unfortunately for her, once she took it off, and could finally see again, she saw what a huge mistake that had been. Standing there in front of her was a stark naked Kouga. Naked. As in, fully naked. Dangly parts included. Oh  _god_. Dangly parts? Nice dangly parts but -  _ohmygod_. His eyes were opened a little wider than usual as he stared very intensively at her chest area, seemingly forgetting his own nakedness.

But she could not ignore his bareness as much as he could. Her eyes traveled down from his naked chest, one she had stared at before, all the way to the trail of dark brown hair above a very… "Kah!"

Leaving her shirt behind, she ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her before running back to the safety of his bedroom. Her cheeks were bright red as she buried her face in a pillow. Why did this always happen to her? Why did life hate her? Oh god. She had seen her first… p  _thing_. This was not the context she had pictured for her first sighting.

A knock on the door forced her to pull away from her nightmare. "Kagome?"

And now she wanted to die of shame even more. She wondered if it was possible for her to pretend that she was not there and melt into the bed until they morphed into a single entity. But apparently Kouga refused to accept silence as an answer. She heard the doorknob turn and heard his footsteps as he walked in - hopefully with clothes on this time. She had seen this man naked more than she had ever since her  _ex-boyfriend_  naked. And they were  _friends_. Who kissed. Who saw each other naked?  _Ugh_.

"Sorry," he said as he came to a halt. "We don't lock doors around here and I didn't think you'd want a peak," he said, trying to lighten the shame that coated her sweet, pale flesh. Honestly, he had smelled her scent as being nearby but he had never thought she was  _that_  close by. The steam from the shower had messed up his scent of smell a little bit. They had just fixed the awkward situation over the kiss but… it was a good way to start flirting with her a little differently. "We're not used to having a girl around," he provided as she remained silent. Perhaps his little flirting joke was not as well received as he anticipated.

He had to raise an eyebrow as he stared at her. He did not think that she realized she was bare -  _still_. He could see the smooth flesh of her back along with her bra strap, the curve of her back as it was arched, leading all the way to her -

Kagome pulled her head away from the pillow. "Could we pretend this never happened?" She felt like she had more to lose out of this. No, he had not locked the door but he had seen her in a bra - she was the one who had seen him fully naked. And stared. It was much better for her sake considering she was the one who was the most troubled by the sight she had witnessed. He had probably seen a million girls in a bra. She was nothing new, nothing impressive. If only he knew he was the first guy she had ever seen naked. He would probably never let her live it down - after of course all the virgin teasing.

That was not at all what he had expected her to say. It was actually much better than what he had imagined. She was fine, she was just embarrassed - and he did not expect anything else from her. Although he was more than grateful for the preview he got, and he had absolutely no shame or reservations about his own body; he wanted her to be completely comfortable around him. "I mean, I have no clue what you're talking about," he said with a smirk.

"I mean the- oh." Right, he was already pretending. "Thanks."

"Shower's all free if you want it. Although, I'd put a shirt on if I were you. I don't mind but… you might," he suggested with a wink.

A shirt? She glanced down at her chest, which was partially covered by the pillow, before screaming at him once more. "Pervert!" she screamed while using a blanket to cover herself.

He could not help but laugh as he exited the room. At least it was nothing a little bit of humour could not fix right?

-C-

Breakfast went on without a hitch, thought it helped her that she was not completely alone with him. How could one singly day derail so much?  _God_. Kissing and nakedness. Maybe it would have all gone down much easier if she had still been drunk… or hung over. Her plan had been to eat and then see if it was safe for her to return to the apartment. Yes, they had talked, but it was still hard to not picture  _that_  when she looked at him. He on the other hand, remained unfazed. She did not know if it was a good thing, or she should be taking it as an insult. No.  _She was not going there_. It did not matter what he thought of her physical.  _It really didn't!_  Unfortunately, the gods hated her. Sango had replied in a panic, thinking Kagome had been on her way home from the shrine. Feeling guilty, Kagome had reassured her that she would not be back until much later. She did wish she had somewhere else to wait around.

"Do you need a ride home?" she had not mentioned wanting to go home but he was not sure if it was because she did not want to leave or because she did not want to be rude. So he thought he would be nice and offer her a way out of it.

"Hm, no actually…"  _god_ , she just kept on asking for favours did not she not? "If you don't mind, my apartment is still not, erm,  _safe_." And using the word safe was a really polite way to describe it.

He could not help but laugh at her choice of words. "I told ya, you're always welcome here. Think of it as your second home." It was refreshing to have her around, and he wanted it to be more permanent. Although - he was a little stuck. He had wanted to derivate from this whole friendship path but now he felt like a naked show and a kiss was enough for the next couple of days. He did not want to push her too far. Even if he had nothing to do with the naked part. It was also a little difficult to not notice she blushed every time she looked at him.

She forced a smile. "Thanks, but I don't want to intrude." Or walk in on anybody else… "Please, just do what you were going to do if I hadn't been here." She did not want him to feel like he had to take care of her.

"I don't think you'd like what we do on Sundays," he said before grimacing. "We clean. And as you've noticed by my bedroom, I am very clean. These twats are pigs." But it was a common space, so everybody pitched in to help clean it.

Although she had to agree it was fair to make everyone participate, there was indeed no denying that Kouga's room was immaculate. He had struck her as anything but a messy person. "I think you're supposed to study today," she volunteered.

But all he gave her was a dumbfound expression filled with confusion.

"We haven't done our study sessions in a bit. You're going to fall behind."

He blinked slowly, resisting the urge to smirk. Was she trying to get him out of his cleaning duties? He could not pass up this opportunity - especially if it involved the two of them in his bedroom. "You're right. I have been a horrible student."

"Of course, I'm right. You winning the bet doesn't mean you can stop studying."

His smirk grew in size at her statement. "Meet you upstairs?" he asked with a tilt of the head.

She nodded, holding back a blush at the other nature the statement could take, and rushed to make her way upstairs. He had helped her out more than once and it was the least she could do to return the favor. That was all that was. Nothing else.  _Oh god, she had willingly proposed for them to be locked together in a room_. She was going to die. She reached his room and immediately spotted his books which allowed her to set up the study area prior to his arrival. The bed… would send a bad message. And her head was already filled with enough flashback as it was. She did not need to create a situation. She had done enough of that already.

It took a few minutes but he did join her. "They let me go. But I'm warnin' ya. I'm pretty sure they don't think we're studying." Usually he would keep that kind of information to himself to avoid creating an awkwardness but he felt it was necessary to share it with her since they boys might tease her later.

Oh. She had forgotten that this was a frat house and that whatever weird thought she already had going in her mind, they had as well. But at this point, there was nothing she could do. It was done. Although, she did wish they would not jump to conclusions so easily. "Boys will be boys," she finally said as she laid her book flat open. "Let's do this."

-C-

"I'm sorry - you stayed where?"

Sango could not believe the information her friend had just willingly volunteered; this was the revelation of a lifetime and she did not even have to fight to get it. She could not have hoped for a better outcome than this.  _Finally_. Kouga had struck her as a forward guy but lately, with his lack of moving forward, she thought that maybe he was not as forward as she initially thought. Hopefully this came with more good news.

"You heard me just fine," Kagome mumbled under her breath. She did not need the teasing.

"I'm sorry, but you have to admit that it is little bit funny." Had she known it was all it took to force her out of her bubble, she would have locked her out for a weekend a long time ago. There were many ways for her to explore this newfound weakness.  _Too many_.

"Trust me, it wasn't funny to show up on his doorstep like that! I was hung over, they were ready to party, and then there were Kouga's legs - and the shower thing - the kiss and…" Ah  _fuck_. Nope, nope, nope. She stopped herself mid sentence. What the hell had she jut said?  _Why, why, why_. Life could simply not let her catch a break lately.

Sango had no control over the smirk that formed on her face. "I don't even know what to ask first," she said as her brain began to untangle Kagome's mombo jumbo. This was like christmas, her birthday and every single holidays wrapped into one gift! "Kiss? Shower?"

"Can we just pretend that I didn't say anything," she begged as she hid her face away with a pillow.

"Oh no lady, you are not getting out of that one," she warned with a grin.

And so Kagome sighed before she proceeded to share with her best friend the details of her weekend. Obviously, to get through it, she found herself blushing furiously during various moments. Especially the shower part - and the part with the thing… She had her dosage of naked Kouga.

"Oh god, I can't believe I missed all this," Sango exclaimed once Kagome was done.

"Trust me, it was nothing. I just wanna put it all behind me."

Sango arched an eyebrow. "Why? You know you could enjoy it. Kouga seems like a good guy."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't want a relationship - regardless of the fact that he's a good guy." Why should she get into a mess again? To lose another friend? No thank you. It was good to have him. She did not want to losing friendships. Plus, he was Kouga. She was half torn between he was teasing her for the heck of it, or he was not in for a relationship. A guy like that, if he wanted a relationship, he would have had one by now.

Sango threw her head backwards as frustration rose through her. "Kagome, not every guy is Inuyasha and not every relationship is doomed to fail," she stated.

"I just don't think it's worth the risk. Plus it's not like I know Kouga that well." Inuyasha and her had been friends for years before they dated.

"You know, not everyone meets and takes years before dating. I didn't know Miroku that well w hen we started dating." She knew he was a pervert and that was about it.

Kagome's vision of love used to be different. She used to think there was that big one love that turns one's life around and it could last forever. However, Inuyasha had shown that it had been nothing more than a childish illusion and now she was lost.

It did not take too long for Sango to notice her friend's sad eyes. "Kagome," she trailed, but Kagome did not look at her. "Nobody wants to get hurt." Each relationship was a gamble. "But you risk on missing out if you don't put yourself out there." At first she had understood that her friend needed some time since her whole life had crumbled down around her, but that time had passed now. She had to start taking baby steps in the right direction.

"What am I missing? What is this impossible thing that only a relationship can give me?" Everyone talked about love, about putting yourself out there but in the end… what for? She was happy now was she not? If she had shown up on his doorsteps like that… and they had been in a relationship… would he have expected something out of her? Would it have been… relatively calm and fun? She did not know that. Clearly Inuyasha's problem with her had been for something else than a relationship. He clearly had been expecting something more physical. Kouga was a nice guy, but a frat boy. Who said he was not expecting the same?

"Experience. Share yourself with another person - to grow." Sometimes an outsider's perspective was needed to broaden one's horizon. But it had to come from Kagome. If she did not want to be in a relationship, it did not matter what Sango said.

"I think I'll be fine without it," Kagome settled on answering. She had based too much of her future on Inuyasha, only to have it all shattered. She liked having her own plans.

"What don't you like about Kouga exactly?" she challenged. "Is it because he was too forward? Is it because he goes after what he wants without giving up?" They were all traits in a man that Kagome could use. Plus, it would offer her a new kind of relationship for her who had only been with Inuyasha. He had not been open with his feelings and he had a hard time expressing what he wanted. It was perhaps why it had taken him so long to break up with Kagome. He had not known how to be honest with her.

"I don't know - but I don't think I should be with someone just because they want to be with me." There was no one thing she could point out. Yes, he had been nice to her. Yes, they had shared a few pleasant moments along with a few kisses - accidental ones - but that did not make them a couple. And she did not even know if  _couple_  was what he had in mind. Plus it was not like Kouga fitted the description of the guys she usually had a crush on. Not that there was anything wrong with him of course. But… a jock? A somewhat pretentious jock? No, she was not being fair…He had been quite the gentleman with her and it was not fair for her to still judge him based on first impressions. He had proven her wrong more than once since then. "I'm just - I don't want that, not right now," she gave up on answering, hoping it would end this.

"Alright," Sango gave up. She knew there was no point in pushing her friend. All she could do at this point was hope that she would see the truth in time - and on her own.

-C-

To say that this was awkward did not even begin to describe the situation in which she found herself. Kagome had learned through the grapevines that there wold be a pre-competition race for the track team. Without thinking twice about it, she had asked the boys about it. She had never really paid attention to the school's sport teams in the past but now, her interests had sightly shifted. She had not meant to make Kouga feel worse about his legs, but a part of their agreement did include the fact that he was no longer supposed to avoid everything related to running. Although after seeing his legs for the first time, she could understand a little bit why he had been doing so. And thus, after a lot of nagging from her and the boys, they had dragged Kouga to the race.

He sat beside her on the bench, a neutral expression on his face while he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. This was not going well.

"A deal's a deal," she said, trying to make him smile by teasing him a little.

"And I now intend on maximizing my end of the deal," he replied with a smirk.

The height of the racing season was approaching and he was nowhere near being on track as far as his healing progresses were concerned. It was eating away at him.

"I think you abuse it enough as it is," she snapped back with narrowed eyes.

He was about to tease her back when his eyes caught sight of an unpleasant scene. There, sitting across from them, also waiting for the race to begin was her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. They were enlaced together as they laughed away, having their own private moment as though nobody else in the world existed. He hurried to shift his glance back on Kagome, afraid that she might have noticed where he had been looking. She had not. Although - she was pushing him out of his comfort zone, perhaps he should be doing the same for her. It would be good or her to let go of her past demons and move forward with her life. She had been so panic about seeing Inuyasha at that party, she had kissed him - a complete stranger - that was quite out of character for her.

Kouga did not offer her any kind of warning before he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer, earning a sudden gasp from her parted lips.

"Kouga?" she asked while a cloud of confusion danced across her blue orbs.

He did not want to be too loud sine he did not know how well the hanyou's ears could pick up sound, so, he leaned into her, his warm breath spreading across her ear. "Don't look," he hushed. "But someone is across from us. Thought we should be holdin' up your end of the deal now," he finished, a smirk dancing on his lips as he pulled away.

She was dying to look across but she also did not want to see the scene in front of her, so she listened to his instructions. It would be somewhat hypocrite of her to drag him here but not be willing to impose some kind of nightmare on herself as well. Fair was fair. Even if it left a sour taste in her mouth and twisted her guts. She tried to loosen her shoulders and act as natural as possible but she found that it was much easier said than done. Kouga on the other hand was a natural at this.

"Don't worry, I won't do anythin' to make ya uncomfortable." The point was not to abuse of the situation, despite his earlier joke. He wanted to help her move on from a jerk who did to even deserve her in the first place. It was quite obvious that she had no intention of chasing after Inuyasha but that did not mean that she was over him. That was that issue he was trying to fix right now.

As the boys finally started to make an appearance on the track, Kagome had no choice but to tilt her head upwards. Obviously, now that she had been warned, she made sure not to look straight ahead and instead opted to look at Ginta and Hakkaku as they lined up. Despite that, it was hard to ignore the flash of silver that she could see from the corner of her eyes.

Kouga however had no problem making eye contact with Inuyasha. It would actually help drive his point across, especially since it was obvious that Inuyasha was slowly feeling threatened by him. He kept his blue orb set on his enemy's frame, waiting for his glance to shift so that he could finally notice them. Hopefully Kagome did not look as nervous as her aura felt or he would see right through them. It took a moment longer but Inuyasha finally turned his head and Kouga was ready for him. A smirk was plastered on his face as their eyes met and Inuyasha's expression shifted while his amber eyes narrowed dangerously with a slight flare of his nostrils. This was perfect.

The blazing fire in Inuyasha's aura was hard to miss as it radiated from his body. Kouga had to tone down his own reaction since he did not want to come across as a faker. He straightened himself, his fingers gripping Kagome's shoulder a little tighter while he was mindful of his long claws.

Even without looking directly at him, Kagome could easily tell that Inuyasha was not alone. He was with his new girlfriend - which was fine. He had apparently very quickly moved on from his fear of commitment and headed straight for another girl. His level of hypocrisy had clearly reached an all time high. Not only had he broken her heart but to top it all off he had not managed to be honest with her and that was perhaps the worst part of it all. If he did not want to be with her anymore, he should have said that instead of making up dirty lies and sneaking behind her back. She would have at least respected his honesty and she would not have forced him to stay…

As Kagome's aura flared with a certain level of rage, Kouga found himself wondering if perhaps he had inadvertently done something to upset her. However, a quick twitch of the nose revealed a thin layer of sadness beneath the seeping anger: this was not about him. Maybe this had not been his best idea. His goal had not been to upset her but to free her.

But before he had time to take any kind of corrective action, she reacted before him. Without him realizing it, she had turned her face, his lips now inches from her skin, and she was intertwining shaky fingers with his. He was not quite sure what had happened to make her this mad, but he was not about to upset her further. Whatever she wished to do, he would comply and act as natural as possible, which would not be difficult to do considering the fact that he would have no problem with it if it were real.

All she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat thumping in her head, rushing the blood to the brain. Why was she so nervous? They had kissed twice before which was a lot more than this hand holding thing they were doing right now. This was not the element that was upsetting her. It meant that the problem was Inuyasha's presence - it was what unsettled her so deeply. He moved on from her without so much as a second thought. Why could she not let go of the juvenile pointless feelings she had? It was not like she would ever go back to him. But she could not stop mourning the two people he had been for her: her boyfriend  _and_  her best friend.

"You okay?" Kouga managed to whisper as his puff of exhaled air tickled her pouting pink lips.

Words remained stuck in her throat but she did manage to provide him with a weak nod as an answer.

"Well, he is staring right at us." Burning a hole in the back of their heads was perhaps a more accurate statement to describe the current glare to was tossing in their direction. And that was nothing compared to the rage bleeding through his aura. He was too transparent for his own good.

There was only one problem with all this: he was not making her feel any better. First of all, she was not a big fan of enjoying other people's suffering and second of all, what was the point? He was not still pinning after her, and she did not want him back. He had clearly moved on from her and it was for the best. Her grip on Kouga's hand tightened but now it was for a whole new reason; she needed the support.

Kouga did sense the shifting in her aura but he pretended to be none the wiser by moving his glance away from Inuyasha as to focus his attention on his friends. It had been a lot easier to focus on Inuyasha since that allowed him to forget about everything he was missing out on currently. He wanted to be with them - out there, waiting to run past that white line. He wanted to show him, blast them away and leave them in his dust. He wanted to remind everyone how he had earned his title, his place at this school. But he could not - because his busted legs were barely good enough to walk. Even sweet, nice Kagome had not been able to hide how horrified she was by the sight o his legs. However, he would suck it all up because he told her he would and deep,  _deep_  down he knew she was right about this.

Most people began to stand up, ready to cheer for the boys as they were getting ready to show off their speed. That meant that Kagome's view was blocked and she could no longer see Inuyasha and his girlfriend - even if she tried. That was a good thing. Now she could focus her attention on the important stuff. She turned her head, her eyes meeting Kouga's. She smiled.

The rest of the promotional race went on without an hitch. Kagome was able to focus on the boys and Kouga tried to not focus on what he was missing. At some point, she let go of his hand and he let her do it without offering any resistance. Although, he had to admit; he missed her warmth. He had quickly noticed that she had forgotten they were holding hands but he had chosen to not point it out. God. Hand holding. What was he? A third grader? Literally, they had nearly gone to second base within seconds of meeting each toher and now he was happy about holding hands? This was a mess and a half and it was not who he was.  _He was not this_. He did not stand passively as life happened around him. He had already chickened out once after kissing her - and maybe it was a mistake. Maybe he should keep being forward…

Once the race was over, the boys came over, doing their best to try to tone down their excitement for the sake of their alpha - which prompted a very obvious eye roll from Kouga. They were allowed to be excited. Morons. He was not about to lose his shit over that.

"Let's celebrate," he finally said, even surprising himself. Although perhaps that would help them believe that he was genuinely happy for them and that they were allowed to talk about it.

"What did ya have in mind?" Hakkaku questioned with a raised brow.

"How 'bout a drink at the usual spot?" … the one where they used to celebrate their victories. It might not be his victory, but it was theirs.

"I'm in!" Ginta exclaimed, punching in the air with excitement. "Nothing beats a few beers after a race. Sis you in?"

When all pairs of eyes turned to look at her, all Kagome could do was offer a small shrug. She had dragged Kouga to this, and now the celebration was not ending yet. It would be unfair to leave him to the wolves - literally - when it was her fault he was in that situation in the first place. "Why not?"

"Woohoo!" Hakkaku said as he led the way. "McKibbins it is!"

As they all began walking towards the left side of the field, Kouga's sensitive ears could not help but pick up tiny bits of a conversation between two specific people.  _Wanna grab a beer?_ caught his attention. Somehow, he was fairly certain he knew where that  _beer_  was going to be.

Things were about to get interesting.

-C-


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind words! Our little one was hiding its crotch during the first echo, so we have two more weeks before we know if it's a boy or a girl :)

Kagome's hand was firmly grasped on her glass as she brought the rim to her lips, downing the golden liquid in one swing. She put it back down on the table relatively loudly before shaking her head softly while grimacing. This did not taste good. But she was going to drink it anyway because it was the only thing that could take away from the nervousness that had seeped through her body and taken hold of her heart. At first, everything had been well, everything had been fun. Then  _he_  had shown up. She was not an idiot, she knew it could not be an accident or a coincidence. He was here on purpose. What purpose? She had yet to figure that out. Regardless, his presence irked her. There were many other options for him and yet he decided to plague her and make her life a nightmare. Kouga had tried to talk about it, but she had dismissed him, telling him she was fine.

And she was really—she was.

So, she had ordered a few beers and she had decided that she would pretend he was not there. He had left  _her_. How come he also got to make her life post-break up a living hell? No. She was not going to stand for that. She was not going to play into his little games. If he wanted to be an even bigger asshole, he could be an asshole all by himself. She was  _done_.

And so, she had just finished her sixth beer.

As she finally swallowed the last of it, she allowed herself to turn her head to the side, making eye contact with Kouga. There was a glimmer of concern in his baby blues and she sighed. "I am fine."

She had said that a lot tonight, but each time she said it, it sounded like a lie. He thought it would be interesting for that little twat to show up, but he did not think this was the route Kagome was going to take. Although he was pleased that she had settled on ignoring him, but he was just not quite sure how well it was working. If she was drinking because of him, was she really ignoring him? "I didn't say nothing," he finally defended with a smile. "I'm just surprised how quickly a tiny thing like yourself can gulp down alcohol." He was going to have to keep an eye on her. He was also starting to think that he might be a bad influence on her. Perhaps it was time for him to keep her away from alcohol. Did she even drink before hanging out with him? Although—she had kissed him while she was drunk the night they met so…

She rolled her eyes. "It's not that much." It was not. So, her face was a little warm and her lips felt a little weird. Still, it was fine. "Look!" To prove her point, she shook her head left and right … which turned out to be a bad idea. "Okay, maybe that was not a good one."

Kouga could not help the laughter that bubbled out of his chest. "Yeah,  _you're fine_." He pushed the empty glass away from her. "If ya don't slow down, I'm takin' ya home."

"I am  _not_  going home."

"Why not?"

"Because then  _he_  wins. And he doesn't get to win, because I'm over him. I want my life back." Now she sounded like Sango. Was that not what her best friend had told her when she had dragged her to that party? The party where she had kissed Kouga? She hid away for a whole year. She was done doing it. He was not making any efforts to make her life any easier. He did not care, and it was time she started doing the same. "I'm a free woman."

"I wouldn't say  _free_. You did lose that bet," he replied with a wink.

"Ar, ar," she faked laughed.  _Although…_  "You're my  _boyfriend,_ right?"

He should like where this was going, but he did not. All he managed to do was offer her a nod. Not really, not like he would want to be but…

"You said it was  _for me_ , to make him jealous, right?"

He nodded again.

"Well, be my boyfriend. Maybe that'll teach him to be a creepy stalker."

All the right words, but completely the wrong context. He had a lot of fun teasing her about the whole boyfriend thing, and he had told her more than once that she should come out of her shell. However, he remained unconvinced that slightly tipsy Kagome should be making those calls. He liked her but he was not an asshole. He was not going to take advantage of a girl whose decision-making capacities were … less than excellent. "Kagome—I don't think…"

Suddenly, her cheeks turned a bright red colour and before she could stop herself, she smacked him directly on the chest. "I didn't mean like that— _pervert_." She shook her head. "I meant like an arm around my shoulder."

"Oh."

Well—that was not—taking advantage of anything. He could do that. "Anything for my woman," he said, trying to smoothly recover from the little hiccups. He let his arm snake around her, his hand carelessly resting on her shoulder. "Like this ma'am?"

"Yes."

His hand felt like fire as it touched her, even though it was not a direct skin contact. What in the world was she doing? She did not know. She was not this petty, but that was how Inuyasha made her feel. He made her feel petty. She was trying to move on with her life, she was trying to be more than she was and there he was; lurking at every corner, waiting to ruin her life as though he had never loved her. How could he do this to her? He had already broken her heart and shattered their friendship. Could he not at least let her be happy?

"Kagome?"

"Hm?"

"Ya sure you okay?" He did not want to do anything that might make her uncomfortable. This he was okay doing because it did not involve anything but—more than that? He was not willing to go there. He did not want her to hate him the next morning.

"Yup." She sighed. "You know what, I think I need the bathroom." She put her hands down on the table to help herself up while Kouga's arm fell into emptiness. For the first time, she could feel a slight spinning of her head. Regardless, she managed to make it to her feet without too much of a struggle.

Unfortunately for her, the struggle happened once she was near the bathroom's door.

"So, you let the wolf put his hands all over you."

That voice was enough to freeze her blood. She inhaled deeply before she managed to turn her head to the side, eyes locking with Inuyasha's. He was staring at her with his arms crossed in front of his chest, disapproval written all over his face. He was not going to go see her. He was going to stay away—but then … she had gotten up, she had walked away from that idiot and his feet had guided him straight to her.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm pretty sure you never let me be all over you like that." That fucking wolf had been trying to provoke him from the start. He had stared him down while pawing at Kagome and now he was doing it at the bar. That cocky bastard was bad news and Inuyasha knew no good could come of this. It was why he had warned him to stay away but apparently that bastard was nothing more than a fucking idiot and he had not gotten the message. How could she not see that he just wanted to use her and drop her?

Kagome could feel the blood boiling with each word he spoke. Who did he think he was? "What I do and who I do it with doesn't concern you." He had a new girlfriend and she was not all up in his face about it. "Guy who said he wanted to be alone." Alright, maybe she was a little. But that was his fault. He was the one who told her he did not want to be tied down. And then he turned around and did exactly that. "At least Kouga is honest with me."

"Honest?" He scoffed. "Did he tell you that all he wanted was to get in your pants?"

"Maybe he did."

"And you're okay with that."

"Yeah, I am."

"So you're going to let him just fuck you and walk away."

"He hasn't walked away yet."

This was getting out of control. She was talking a lot more than she should and she was saying a lot of words that she would not be able to take back. There was something about Inuyasha that made her throw reason out of the window. He broke her heart, he stalked her and now he had the audacity to be all in her face about being with someone else? What else was she supposed to do?

"You fucked him?"

"So what if I did?"

Inuyasha's amber orbs widened to a size she did not think was possible. She was kidding—she could not possibly be that stupid that she had already given it up to that bastard. They had been together for years and she never gave it up. What, a cocky smile was all she needed? "I didn't think you were the type of girl who opened her legs up for anyone who gave you a shred of attention."

It happened before she could stop herself. She lifted her hand and  _slapped_. It echoed through the bar, it echoed through the music and it forced a lot of eyes to gaze at them. Kouga had been able to hear the whole conversation, but he had done his best to allow her some privacy. He was no longer able to do that and it was not just because she slapped him. It was because of what he dared to say about Kagome. Before any of his pack members were able to pull him back down, he marched himself in direction of Kagome and Inuyasha. It only took him a few strides before he inserted him between the two of them.

"You got a lot of nerve muttface," he said as he leaned forward, his jaw clenched.

"This ain't about you."

"Like hell it ain't about me. I've been waiting for a reason to kick your ass." And he had delivered it on a silver platter.

"Keh," Inuyasha said while holding back a laughter. "Like you and your shitty legs could kick anyone's ass."

And now he had struck another sensitive cord. He could feel his fingers fisting at his side while he itched to introduce Inuyasha to his fist. However, before the meeting could take place, he felt a soft hand squeezing his biceps; hers.

"Kouga—Kouga I wanna go home."

She could feel the tears burning her eyes and she did not know if it was the emotions, the slap, the words or all of it together. All she knew was that now, everyone was staring at them and she did not want to be here. Somehow, Inuyasha was able to create the mess and take no credit for it. He was the one who got involved when it had nothing to do with him. He was the one who provoked her. But she was the one who made a scene. Even though he deserved it. She also did not want Kouga to get dragged into this. She had seen his legs and although she did not doubt his strength and power, she did not want him to be even more injured because of her. He already missed running and she did not want to slow down his recovery.

"Please," she begged when he did not bulge. "Let's go home."

He knew their homes were not together. He knew the words she told Inuyasha were not true, but he let his hands relax at his side. "Don't come near her again," he threatened as he let himself pull away from the hanyou. Kagome's tiny hand wrapped around his wrist as she guided him away. He could smell the tears burning at her eyes and it only made his rage grew.

He would find a way to pummel that fucking dog to the ground.

-C-

_Guilt_.

It was what had gotten her here. At their door.

After the bar incident, Kagome had been a little quiet. It had both been due to shame and guilt over the whole thing that had transpired. How else had she been supposed to feel? She had not even told Sango what had happened. Instead, she had brushed it off and focused on school. Something she had been neglecting lately and with the finals rearing their ugly heads, she knew she had to be a better student. Obviously, Kouga had texted her but her replies had been minimal. She had even blown off two of their studying sessions. Something he had not taken lightly. But she knew she could not look at him after what had happened. She had felt so ashamed. Plus, she had put him in a situation he should not have been in. He had barely let her go after dropping her off that night.

But—now here she was.

The guys had texted her, once, then twice.

It was about a party and she had not been the least bit interested. But then, they had to dig the knife in. The party was for Kouga's birthday! She had not even known it was his birthday. She did feel bad about ignoring him but—she decided that she would feel worse if she blew him off on his birthday. After all he had not done anything wrong. He had even come to her defence. Plus, this was sort of the best way to see him again. Everyone would be around him, he would be the centre of attention and that would allow her to dismiss and dodge all the questions that she wanted to avoid. Despite her  _confidence_ , she had been staring at the door for five minutes, unable to go in.

She could hear the music coming through the door, the people laughing and drinking … at least she knew  _he_  would not be there. And yet, she could not find the strength to walk through that door. Maybe she should not have come. Maybe seeing her and being all weird was going to completely ruin his birthday and … what would she even say to him? Sorry you almost got into a fight with my ex because I told him we had sex? Gah! Could things be anymore awkward than that? Could she even recover from this? A sigh shook her whole body as her shoulders dropped and for a second, she considered walking away…

But the door opened.

"Hey Sis! You made it."

He was smiling at her, but something deep inside was telling her that he knew she had been standing there for quite a bit. Had he known that she was about to walk away? "Sorry, I didn't—I didn't bring a gift?"

He laughed. "Don't worry, it's not that kind of party." Hakkaku really did not mean to rush her or pressure her into anything. He had even ignored the fact that she had been staring at their door forever. However, once he felt her anxiety level rise through the roof, he had decided to play it safe. He did not want her to walk away. Of course, just in case that happened, they had not told Kouga she was coming. They had been able to see that he was miserable without her around and they did not want to give him false hope. Luckily, Kagome was a good person and she did not have it in her to disappoint anyone and so, there she was. "Wanna come in?"

He was offering her an out and she could take it but—then she would feel like a giant jerk. "Yup," she said through tight lips.

And that was when she saw the size of the party. When they said party, they were not kidding. Apparently, when the alpha was concerned, no expense was spared to spend his birthday. There were kegs in every corner, different drinking and party games laid out across the entire living room and there were more balloons and decorations than she could count. Also, there was enough food to feed a small country. They did not mess around. "Wow," was all she could say.

"Yeah," Hakkaku began as he scratched the back of his head. "Kouga is a good leader, so, we like to give back on his birthday." This year, the mission had been all about getting Kagome to show up and it had worked. "How about we go see the birthday boy?"

He was actually quite excited to deliver the best birthday gift ever. He also could not wait for Kouga to stop being pouty about this. Also, it might lessen all the rage he had towards Inuyasha. He had not been a fun person to be around lately and Hakkaku hoped that Kagome's presence would calm him a bit.

Was there any way she could say no? Not really. She was already here. She had to own up to her shame and help him celebrate his birthday. Hopefully, he would not be disappointed to see her here. It did not seem that he was aware of her presence. They had not told him she was coming. If they had, he would have been the one to drag her inside, not Hakkaku. This would be interesting. "Yup."

Hakkaku beamed a smile as he nodded. "Follow me."

She swallowed hard as she stepped forward, following behind him. She tried to keep a safe distance, trying to give her some time to react before Kouga had a chance to spot her. Fortunately for her, she saw Kouga while he was distracted. He was surrounded by people and all of them had a shoot glass in front of them—of course. If it were not for the fact that alcohol apparently got her in trouble, she could use a few shooters right about now—just to take the edge off. When had she turned into a drinking person anyway?

"Here he is," Ginta said as he gestured. He could announce her arrival but one quick look at Kagome's expression let him know that it was best if Kagome handled this one on her own. For now.

"Thanks," she managed to say as she began clasping her hands in front of her. What was she supposed to say? Happy birthday?  _Oh_  by the way, sorry I have been ditching you and ignoring you. Nothing personal though, just a small personal breakdown. Nope, that did not seem quite right. She let out a long breath, emptying out her lungs as though it would give her some sort of courage. She figured that she could not chicken out or walk away. Either she would be outed or Kouga would finally realize she was there.

It was now or never.

She opted for a gesture. She raised a shake hand and gathered the courage to tap on his shoulder with her index finger. At first she almost thought that he did not feel it. But, when he turned around, she was proven wrong. His first expression was one of shock before he broke into a smile.  _What_ , how had he not even felt her get here? And she was  _actually here_? He had been getting quite anxious with the way she had been dodging him and avoiding him. He initially began to think it was because he was willing to kick Inuyasha's ass, but after thinking it through it made no sense. Why would that make her so angry? It had to be something else. However, he had not been able to figure out what that something else was…

"I heard it was your birthday?" she said as the corner of her mouth twitched. "Happy birthday!"

His grin grew in size before he threw his arms around her. "Thanks. I thought it was a little … too cocky to fish for birthday wishes." If they had been talking, he would have told her about it…

"Cat's out of the bag."

" _Hey_  Kouga! If you don't get back into the game, you're gonna lose…" Both Kouga and Kagome turned their heads to look at the dark-haired boy who had spoken. His fingers were wrapped around his shooter glass as he stared with open eyes. "You wouldn't wanna have to do a dare."

Nope, now was not the time, not with Kagome around. The dare had a tendency to go out of hand and he wanted to avoid making a scene in front of her. "Come on, you can cut a guy some slack on his birthday."

"It'll count as your birthday gift though," he chuckled. "What about you?" he said as he nodded in Kagome's direction. "Wanna play?"

"I don't think so," Kouga answered.

"Didn't ask ya."

"What is it?" Kagome asked as she looked around.

Kouga sighed as he palmed the back of his neck. "We ask  _questions_ , if ya don't wanna answer you gotta drink everyone's shooter glass and do a _dare_. Trust me, ya don't wanna do the dares." He did not feel like having them dare her to run through a room naked or something stupid. But he also did not want them to ask her uncomfortable questions. "It's not fun. You wouldn't wanna play. Let's—go somewhere else."

"Hey, hey, if you leave halfway through you're gonna get a big dare."

"Come on man."

"Those are the rules."

"I'll play."

She felt bad; he had been enjoying himself before her arrival and now he only wanted to leave before the game was over because he wanted to make her comfortable. He had not done anything wrong per se, and it was his birthday. All she had to do was make sure she answered the questions. Since her sexual past was basically void, she did not fear the questions; there was nothing embarrassing she could reveal. How bad could it be? She had never done anything bad.

"Kagome, no."

"It's fine." She moved forward, grabbing the edge of the table. "Let's do this."

"I like her," the boy said as he put a full-shooter glass in front of her.

Kouga shot him a glare, letting him know that he better play nice or he would regret it later. But it felt like it was ignored.

"Alright, we'll start with the new girl." Kagome gulped. She looked like a good girl. He assumed her pre-college life was not very interesting. She was one of those girls who discovered themselves in college. Also, it seemed that Kouga had a special interest in her. He could mess with his friend a little. "Who was the owner of the first penis you've ever seen?"

 _Oh God_. She pinched her lips together until they turned white, her eyes wide open. Alright, she had clearly been  _very_  wrong. Oh God. Could she melt? Could she disappear? Maybe if she made a run for it and never returned again? That could work … right? Oh my God. She wanted to duck under the table. So she either had to embarrass herself or get smash drunk and do a dare she would never be able to do? She did not like her option.  _Stupid Kagome_.

Kouga could not help but have a quirked eyebrow. He pretty much expected the answer to be Inuyasha. He did not know why that shamed her so much. Maybe she did not want people to know they were together. It was not like Inuyasha had a bad reputation or anything…

 _Fuck_. She was going to have to say it. Oh God. Before she could think twice about it, she lifted the shooter and downed the whole thing.

"That's … not quite the game. Are you saying you're not gonna answer?"

She put the glass down. "Kouga," she croaked out.

That did not help ease the confusion. "Kouga's turn? Nope, you gotta do yours first."

He was going to drag this out, wasn't he? Because her shame was not enough. She had to be humiliated as well. "No." She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. "Kouga. That's the answer."

"Kouga's the first dude you've seen naked?" The guy laughed out loud. "I didn't know you two were fucking."

He—wait. What? No. That was—was she lying? He could not smell deceit on her. It did not make sense. He could not be the first penis she had ever seen. That made no sense. "No, it's Inuyasha."

"No, it's not," she gritted. Why, why could no one drop this? Did this really need to be dragged on?

"But you two—"

"We never had sex."

"You two are fucking or not?"

"No, we're not," Kouga barked back. He did not need rumours to be started and he did not need her to have a fake reputation. He refocused his attention on Kagome. "I don't understand."

"She's a virgin," someone volunteered.

And that was the moment that Kagome decided it was a flight or fight moment, and she was opting for the flight. Before Kouga could register the information, Kagome let go of her glass and ran away from the group. She wanted somewhere to hide—she simply did not know where. She was not  _ashamed_  of her virginity but— _she did not need everyone looking at her like that_.

"Fuck. You're a fucking moron," Kouga said before letting go of his own glass so that he could run after Kagome. He could hear them talking behind him, probably saying something about a bet, but he chose to tune it all out; it was not his priority right now.

She had just come back to his place after avoiding him and this place. The goal was not to make her run away again… He knew, he knew that playing this game meant nothing but bad news. He should have fought her harder. It did not take him long to spot her; she was heading to the stairs. Of course, the entire place was crowded which meant she had to fight her way through a crowd a people. It would slow her down enough that he might be able to catch her. He did not care as he walked through the crowd, elbowing people, pushing them, trying to keep track of the black ponytail he was following. Unfortunately for him, with all the arms in the air, and the swaying of the people, she did manage to blend in. It was also hard to pick up her scent when everyone was rubbing on him with each motion he did.

Fortunately, if she was heading upstairs, he could only think of one place she could be. He hopped the stairs two steps at a time, rushing to his own bedroom. It sounded quiet when he arrived in front of the door but he could now feel her better than when she was hiding in the crowd. He slowly wrapped his fingers around the cold metal handle and turned it in a way that it would make no sound. He almost expected her to have her face hidden in his bed, but instead, she was simply sitting on it. The moment he walked in, she tilted her head upwards and their eyes met.

"Sorry," she grumbled. What was the point of running away if he followed her? Then again, except for not believing her, he had not made fun of her. He had not put her on the spot either. Although, it was his lack of understanding that had led to the big pubic revealed. "I feel like an idiot."

"I'm the idiot," he hurried to say. "I shoulda kept my mouth shut—I just—I really thought…" He thought they had sex. He thought she had been with him for years and he had been maybe her first… But he was an idiot. He simply did not imagine that a girl like Kagome, so beautiful, so perfect was— _untouched_.

"It's fine. It's kinda normal to think that we—that I wouldn't be … but I am," she said as she clapped her hands together. This is not the kind of conversation she thought she would be having with  _him_  but here it was.

She loved him and she was  _beautiful_. He did not think their relationship had stayed at the first level. "Sorry, it just felt a little unbelievable. I mean have you seen you?"

Kagome had to chuckle at the comment. "He didn't really—we didn't go to his house much and  _well_  my family lives on a shrine. It's mom, Grandpa, me … my little brother. It didn't give us much privacy." Her mother was not the strictest but it was not as though she gave them the free reins to do as they pleased. Plus, someone was constantly home. "That's why I thought once we went to college…" But then…

"He left," he finished for her.

"Yup. To be  _alone,_ " she said as she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers as she uttered the word alone. "And now here we are." A whole year later and she pretty much felt like she was right where she started.

"Well, you know,  _as your boyfriend_ , I can help with that issue." He winked. He could tell that memories of Inuyasha were never good for her. If he could at least stir the conversation away, it would be a win.

She chuckled. "Yeah, I'll pass. I'm good."

"Can't blame a man for trying." He paused. " _On his birthday._ "

She ran her fingers through her hair, the laughter rumbling her chest. "Did you just try to use your birthday as an excuse to have sex?"

"Again," he said as he leaned into her. "Can't blame a man for trying."

"As your birthday gift, I'll let it slide."

"Oh I'm getting a birthday gift?" he said, faking surprise. "In that case,  _don't let it slide_ , I'll ask for something else."

"Knowing you, I'm not sure I'm letting you ask for anything."

He twisted his mouth, pretending to think. "Not even a kiss for the birthday boy?"

She knew he was teasing and she knew how much he loved to get a reaction out of her.  _Maybe she could fool him_. "Sure."

"W—"

But before he could speak, he felt her closing in. He was about to close his eyes when he realized that his mouth was not her target. Instead, she pressed her moist lips to his cheek?

"Happy birthday," she said with a smile as she pulled away. "What, all you said was a kiss. That was a kiss."

He pulled the pillow from behind his back and carelessly threw it at her. "Smarty pants." He had to say, he was a little disappointed but she  _had_  made physical contact with him without blushing or hesitating. He would take what he could get.

"Talking about birthdays, shouldn't you head back to your party?" He had torn himself away from his own birthday party to come check up on her; it was a good way to make her feel crappy. It was not his fault that she was a blushing virgin—and that from now on, the entire world knew about it.

"Nah," he said as he settled in beside her in the bed. "It's always a little over the top. I'd rather hide out here." He was not about to leave while Kagome was in his bedroom and he did not want to drag her back out there. "Also, I mean—we need to talk. Now that I know that my god like body is the first one you've seen… I feel like I should set the record straight."

"Set the record straight?" she asked with a corked eyebrow.

"Yeah, I mean—now you will have  _expectations_  and I wouldn't want them poor bastards out there to disappoint you."

She had a feeling she knew where this was going, but she let him talk regardless.

"You see, nothing about me is  _average_. This is," he said, nearly pointing between his legs. "Well, above average. So don't go thinking everyone is walking around with one of those between their legs."

She meant to keep a straight face and she  _truly_ , truly tried, but her laughter got the best of her as it came out rumbling out of her chest. She folded in two, laughing louder and louder by the second.

"You know, laughing. Not exactly a reaction a guy likes when he's talking about his junk."

She took a few more seconds to regain her self-control before she straightened herself once more. "But Kouga, with a  _well above_  average  _package_ , why are you so worried?"

"See, this is what I get for trying to help."

"No, you're right. It was mean of me. Thank you for setting me straight," she said through tight lips.

"I could drag you back downstairs you know…"

" _I'm serious!_ "

He shook his head, clearly not believing her, and she chuckled once more. After the whole Inuyasha stalking them mess, and this—her chest finally felt lighter. Somehow, she also felt freer. There was no hidden truths and for the first time, she had shut up Inuyasha's lousy trap. She had stood up to him and she had stood up for herself. It felt good.

Maybe she could do this.

-C-


End file.
